Connecticut 2025 Regular Session

Connecticut House Bill HB06899 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
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3	3		LCO 3870 1 of 6
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5	5		General Assembly Raised Bill No. 6899
6	6		January Session, 2025
7	7		LCO No. 3870
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9	9
10	10		Referred to Committee on COMMITTEE ON CHILDREN
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12	12
13	13		Introduced by:
14	14		(KID)
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18	18		AN ACT CONCERNING EARLY EDUCATOR PAY EQUITY.
19	19		Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
20	20		Assembly convened:
21	21
22	22		Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) As used in this section and 1
23	23		section 2 of this act: 2
24	24		(1) "Compensation schedule" means the early childhood educator 3
25	25		compensation schedule developed by the Office of Early Childhood 4
26	26		pursuant to section 10-531 of the general statutes, as amended by this 5
27	27		act; 6
28	28		(2) "Early childhood care and education program" means a child care 7
29	29		services provider, early childhood education program or license-exempt 8
30	30		early childhood provider; 9
31	31		(3) "Child care services provider" means a child care center or a group 10
32	32		child care home, as those terms are described in section 19a-77 of the 11
33	33		general statutes; 12
34	34		(4) "Early childhood education program" means a private preschool 13
35	35		program or an early care and education program under Early Start CT, 14 Raised Bill No. 6899
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38	38		LCO 3870 2 of 6
39	39
40	40		pursuant to section 10-550b of the general statutes; 15
41	41		(5) "License-exempt early childhood provider" means any child care 16
42	42		services provider or school readiness program that accepts state funds 17
43	43		for infant, toddler and preschool spaces associated with such program 18
44	44		that is not required to be licensed pursuant to subsection (b) of section 19
45	45		19a-77 of the general statutes and is located in a public school building 20
46	46		but is not administered by a public school system; 21
47	47		(6) "Employee" means a person who is employed by an early 22
48	48		childhood care and education program and meets the eligibility criteria 23
49	49		described in the compensation schedule and policy developed by the 24
50	50		Office of Early Childhood pursuant to subsection (e) of this section; 25
51	51		(7) "Base salary" means the annual salary that an employee was paid 26
52	52		on December 31, 2024, or, if the position was vacant on December 31, 27
53	53		2024, the starting annual salary for such position on said date; 28
54	54		(8) "Benefits amount" means seven thousand five hundred dollars; 29
55	55		(9) "Individual employee salary enhancement amount" means, for 30
56	56		any fiscal year, the sum of (A) the difference between (i) the salary 31
57	57		prescribed in the compensation schedule for an employee, and (ii) the 32
58	58		amount of such employee's base salary, and (B) the benefits amount; 33
59	59		(10) "Salary enhancement amount" means the sum of the total 34
60	60		individual employee salary enhancement amounts for all employees of 35
61	61		an early childhood care and education program for the fiscal year; and 36
62	62		(11) "Family child care home" has the same meaning as provided in 37
63	63		section 19a-77 of the general statutes. 38
64	64		(b) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, and each fiscal year 39
65	65		thereafter, the Office of Early Childhood shall administer the early 40
66	66		childhood care and education salary enhancement grant program. The 41
67	67		office shall annually pay to each early childhood care and education 42
68	68		program a salary enhancement grant in the amount of such program's 43
69	69		salary enhancement amount. Such program shall distribute such grant 44 Raised Bill No. 6899
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72	72		LCO 3870 3 of 6
73	73
74	74		funds to its employees in accordance with the policy developed by the 45
75	75		Commissioner of Early Childhood pursuant to subsection (e) of this 46
76	76		section. 47
77	77		(c) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, and each fiscal year 48
78	78		thereafter, the office shall annually pay to each family child care home 49
79	79		a salary enhancement grant as follows: (1) Twenty thousand dollars for 50
80	80		each licensee of a family child care home, (2) six thousand dollars for 51
81	81		each full-time assistant or substitute staff member approved by the 52
82	82		Commissioner of Early Childhood pursuant to section 19a-87b of the 53
83	83		general statutes, and (3) three thousand dollars for each part-time 54
84	84		assistant or substitute staff member approved by the commissioner 55
85	85		pursuant to section 19a-87b of the general statutes, and employed by the 56
86	86		family child care home. The licensee shall distribute such grant funds in 57
87	87		accordance with the policy developed by the commissioner pursuant to 58
88	88		subsection (e) of this section. 59
89	89		(d) Each early childhood care and education program shall register, 60
90	90		at such time and in such manner as prescribed by the commissioner, 61
91	91		with the Office of Early Childhood to receive a grant under the program. 62
92	92		Upon registration, such program shall provide any information 63
93	93		required by the office, in accordance with the policy developed by the 64
94	94		commissioner pursuant to subsection (e) of this section. 65
95	95		(e) Not later than October 1, 2025, the commissioner shall develop a 66
96	96		policy for the administration of the early childhood care and education 67
97	97		salary enhancement grant program. The policy shall include, but need 68
98	98		not be limited to, eligibility criteria for the program, the registration 69
99	99		process for the program, the distribution requirements of the grant and 70
100	100		any other requirements the commissioner deems necessary. 71
101	101		Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) On and after July 1, 2025, each 72
102	102		employee of an early childhood care and education program shall be 73
103	103		paid an annual salary as prescribed in the compensation schedule 74
104	104		developed pursuant to section 10-531 of the general statutes, as 75
105	105		amended by this act, except if an employee's salary is greater than the 76 Raised Bill No. 6899
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108	108		LCO 3870 4 of 6
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110	110		amount prescribed in such compensation schedule, such employee shall 77
111	111		be paid such greater amount. 78
112	112		Sec. 3. Section 10-531 of the general statutes is repealed and the 79
113	113		following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2025): 80
114	114		(a) As used in this section: 81
115	115		(1) "Early childhood education program" means any child care or 82
116	116		school readiness program that accepts state funds for infant, toddler and 83
117	117		preschool spaces associated with such program; 84
118	118		(2) "Employee" means any person who is employed by an [early 85
119	119		childhood education program and meets the applicable staff 86
120	120		qualifications requirement, as defined in section 10-16p] early childhood 87
121	121		care and education program and meets the eligibility criteria described 88
122	122		in the compensation schedule and policy developed by the Office of 89
123	123		Early Childhood pursuant to subsection (e) of section 1 of this act; 90
124	124		(3) "Compensation" means the salary, wages, benefits and other 91
125	125		forms of valuable consideration earned by and provided to an employee 92
126	126		in remuneration for services rendered; [and] 93
127	127		(4) "Compensation schedule" means a list or lists specifying a series 94
128	128		of compensation steps and ranges; [.] 95
129	129		(5) "Early childhood care and education program" means a child care 96
130	130		services provider or an early childhood education program; 97
131	131		(6) "Child care services provider" means a child care center or a group 98
132	132		child care home, as those terms are described in section 19a-77; and 99
133	133		(7) "Early childhood education program" means a private preschool 100
134	134		program or an early care and education program under Early Start CT, 101
135	135		pursuant to section 10-550b of the general statutes. 102
136	136		(b) The Office of Early Childhood shall establish, after notice and 103
137	137		opportunity for public comment, a proposed early childhood educator 104 Raised Bill No. 6899
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140	140		LCO 3870 5 of 6
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142	142		compensation schedule for employees of early childhood education 105
143	143		programs. 106
144	144		(c) (1) The office shall consider the following factors in developing the 107
145	145		proposed early childhood educator compensation schedule: (A) Level 108
146	146		of education, (B) training in early childhood education or child 109
147	147		development, (C) relevant employment experience, including the 110
148	148		number of years an individual has been employed in an early childhood 111
149	149		education program, (D) compensation levels for certified teachers 112
150	150		employed in a preschool program operated by a local or regional board 113
151	151		of education or regional educational service center, and (E) cost of living 114
152	152		in the state. 115
153	153		(2) In developing the proposed early childhood educator 116
154	154		compensation schedule, the office may (A) consider the findings and 117
155	155		recommendations provided in "A Plan to Assist Early Education State 118
156	156		Funded Providers to Degree Attainment and Increased Compensation" 119
157	157		created by the office, pursuant to section 4 of public act 15-134*, to create 120
158	158		a standardized salary scale and incentive package for early childhood 121
159	159		educators, (B) utilize state and federal funding, and (C) examine existing 122
160	160		programs that address early childhood educator compensation and staff 123
161	161		retention through financial incentives, such as bonuses for degree or 124
162	162		course completion. 125
163	163		(3) The office shall establish a recommended minimum salary for 126
164	164		employees as part of the proposed early childhood educator 127
165	165		compensation schedule. 128
166	166		(d) Not later than January 1, 2021, the office shall submit the proposed 129
167	167		early childhood educator compensation schedule and a report to the 130
168	168		joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance 131
169	169		of matters relating to education and appropriations and the budgets of 132
170	170		state agencies, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a. Such 133
171	171		report shall include: (1) Any recommendations for legislation relating to 134
172	172		state-wide implementation of the proposed early childhood educator 135
173	173		compensation schedule, (2) an estimate of the cost of implementing the 136 Raised Bill No. 6899
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176	176		LCO 3870 6 of 6
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178	178		proposed early childhood educator compensation schedule state-wide, 137
179	179		(3) an analysis of the effect of the state-wide implementation of the 138
180	180		proposed early childhood educator compensation schedule on the 139
181	181		number of available preschool seats, and (4) an explanation of how the 140
182	182		proposed early childhood educator compensation schedule will be 141
183	183		included in any quality rating and improvement system developed by 142
184	184		the office, pursuant to subdivision (15) of subsection (b) of section 10-143
185	185		500. 144
186	186		(e) Not later than January 1, 2026, the office shall amend the 145
187	187		compensation schedule to include employees of early childhood care 146
188	188		and education programs. 147
189	189		This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
190	190		sections:
191	191
192	192		Section 1 July 1, 2025 New section
193	193		Sec. 2 July 1, 2025 New section
194	194		Sec. 3 July 1, 2025 10-531
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196	196		KID Joint Favorable C/R ED
197		-	ED Joint Favorable C/R APP
198	197