HLS 202ES-705 ORIGINAL
2020 Second Extraordinary Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 51
BY REPRESENTATIVE HILFERTY
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT: Requests the state Department of Education to study the
education and training requirements, compensation, and employment turnover rates
of early childhood care and education teachers
1 A RESOLUTION
2To urge and request the state Department of Education to study the education and training
3 requirements, compensation, and employment turnover rates of early childhood care
4 and education teachers and the implications of the data surrounding these issues on
5 child outcomes in Louisiana.
6 WHEREAS, through enactment of the Louisiana Early Childhood Education Act, the
7Early Childhood Care and Education Network, and the School Readiness Tax Credit
8Program, the legislature recognizes that the benefits of quality child care are indisputable
9and that a strong connection exists between a child's early learning experiences and readiness
10to enter kindergarten and ultimate academic success; and
11 WHEREAS, eighty percent of brain development takes place before the age of three
12and ninety percent by age four; and
13 WHEREAS, children who start school behind generally stay behind, and more than
14fifty-five percent of Louisiana's children entered kindergarten below grade level in literacy
15in the 2019-2020 school year; and
16 WHEREAS, two out of three young children in Louisiana have both parents or their
17single parent in the workforce, necessitating that the child be cared for by someone other
18than a parent for the majority of the day; and
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HR NO. 51
1 WHEREAS, the cost of child care in Louisiana has risen twelve percent over the past
2three years and currently costs almost as much as tuition at a public college or university;
3and
4 WHEREAS, breakdowns in the provision of child care have significant impacts on
5parents' ability to work and impair the business community's access to a reliable workforce;
6and
7 WHEREAS, studies estimate the annual loss attributable to child care breakdowns
8to Louisiana's pre-COVID economy at $1.1 billion a year; and
9 WHEREAS, although the state has made sweeping reforms to early child care and
10education, a teacher in a Type I or Type II early learning center and an assistant teacher in
11a Type III early learning center is not required to have even a high school diploma to be
12qualified to teach under current licensing regulations; and
13 WHEREAS, national data indicate that, despite the high child care costs borne by
14parents, the median wage for child care workers in Louisiana in 2019 was $9.13 an hour,
15which is less than half of the average kindergarten teacher's salary; and
16 WHEREAS, the turnover rate among early child care and education teachers reduces
17the continuity of care for children and causes logistical and business issues for providers; and
18 WHEREAS, specific data on the education, training, compensation, and employment
19turnover rates of early child care and education teachers in Louisiana are not easily or readily
20available.
21 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
22Legislature of Louisiana does hereby urge and request the state Department of Education to
23study the education and training requirements, compensation, and employment turnover rates
24of early childhood care and education teachers and the implications of the data surrounding
25these issues on child outcomes in Louisiana.
26 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the state Department of Education shall
27collaborate with the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Louisiana
28Workforce Commission, the Board of Regents, relevant stakeholder groups, and research
29organizations to study these issues, including an analysis of the following data and
30information:
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HR NO. 51
1 (1)The education levels, compensation, and employment turnover rates of early
2 child care and education teachers of children from birth through age four in
3 Louisiana as compared to other states.
4 (2)A comparison of the compensation of Louisiana's early child care and
5 education teachers with similar professions in the state.
6 (3)The costs of early child care and education to parents of children from birth
7 to age four in Louisiana as compared to other states.
8 (4)Information on how other states or cities have endeavored to increase pay for
9 early child care and education teachers and the effectiveness of those
10 initiatives.
11 (5)Any other data or information the department deems pertinent and relevant.
12 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the state Department of Education shall submit
13a written report of its findings, including recommendations, to the House Committee on
14Education, the House Committee on Appropriations, the House Committee on Commerce,
15and the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education by February 1, 2021.
16 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
17president of the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the state
18superintendent of education.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HR 51 Original 2020 Second Extraordinary Session Hilferty
Requests the state Dept. of Education to study the education and training requirements,
compensation, and employment turnover rates of early childhood care and education
teachers and the implications of data surrounding these issues on child outcomes and to
submit a written report to the House committees on education, appropriations, and commerce
and to the State Bd. of Elementary and Secondary Education by Feb. 1, 2021.
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