North Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session

North Carolina House Bill H389 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
2	2		SESSION 2025
3		-	H 2
	3	+	H 1
4	4		HOUSE BILL 389
5		-	Committee Substitute Favorable 4/1/25
6	5
7		-	Short Title: Child Care Workforce Pilot Program. (Public)
8		-	Sponsors:
9		-	Referred to:
	6	+
	7	+	Short Title: Child Care Workforce Pilot Program/Funds. (Public)
	8	+	Sponsors: Representatives Arp, Lambeth, Bell, and Strickland (Primary Sponsors).
	9	+	For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
	10	+	Referred to: Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
10	11		March 13, 2025
11		-	H389 -v-2
	12	+	H389 -v-1
12	13		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
13	14		AN ACT TO ESTABLISH THE CHILD CARE WORKF ORCE ACADEMY PILOT 2
14		-	PROGRAM. 3
	15	+	PROGRAM AND TO APPRO PRIATE FUNDS FOR THAT PURPOSE. 3
15	16		The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4
16	17		SECTION 1. The North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc., in collaboration 5
17	18		with the North Carolina Community Colleges System Office, shall develop and implement a 6
18	19		two-year pilot program that expands the child care workforce academies currently operating in 7
19	20		Johnston and Wayne Counties. The pilot program shall establish child care workforce academies 8
20	21		across the State designed to provide free, comprehensive training and support to individuals, with 9
21	22		no experience or education in child care, who are interested in pursuing a career in child care. 10
22	23		SECTION 2. Local partnerships in the following counties shall participate in the 11
23	24		pilot program described under this act: Johnston and Wayne. The North Carolina Partnership for 12
24	25		Children, Inc. (NCPC), in collaboration with the Community Colleges System Office, shall select 13
25	26		10 additional local partnerships to participate in the pilot program from the four local partnership 14
26	27		regions of the statewide NCPC network, which regions are the West, Mid-West, Mid-East, and 15
27	28		East. 16
28		-	SECTION 3. The Community Colleges System Office, local community colleges, 17
29		-	and NCPC shall coordinate to ensure that graduates of the child care workforce academies meet 18
30		-	all requirements to be credentialed with the North Carolina Early Childhood Credential as lead 19
31		-	teachers in child care in this State. The Community Colleges System Office shall have the 20
32		-	responsibility to verify the content of the academies to assure that accreditation requirements are 21
33		-	met. 22
34		-	SECTION 4. Each child care workforce academy (academy) shall seek to enroll no 23
35		-	less than 10 students, with a goal of enrolling 15 students in each course. The academy shall 24
36		-	operate up to eight hours per day over a two- to three-week period to assure that the equivalent 25
37		-	instructional hours for either EDU 119 or EDU 3119 are met enabling graduates of the academy 26
38		-	to be credentialed as a lead teacher in child care. A participating community college and Smart 27
39		-	Start Local Partnership shall strive to offer an academy up to three times per year, with at least 28
40		-	one of the three academies occurring at the end of the traditional public school calendar year to 29
41		-	allow participation by interested high school and college students. The academy shall be offered 30
42		-	free-of-charge to applicants. Students participating in the academy shall receive the knowledge, 31
43		-	skills, and training, including the necessary health screenings, background checks, and 32
44		-	fingerprinting, required for employment as a lead teacher in a licensed child care program in this 33
45		-	State. Upon successful completion of the academy, each student shall receive a North Carolina 34
46		-	Early Childhood Credential that will enable the student to begin teaching in a licensed child care 35
47		-	program immediately upon graduation. 36 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
48		-	Page 2 House Bill 389-Second Edition
49		-	SECTION 5. The North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc., and local 1
50		-	partnerships shall (i) collaborate with the community college in the county or counties in which 2
51		-	the local partnership is located, as practicable, to implement the child care workforce academy 3
52		-	and (ii) ensure information about the child care workforce academy in the respective county is 4
53		-	made available to the public. 5
54		-	SECTION 6. The North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc. (NCPC), in 6
55		-	collaboration with the local partnerships and community colleges participating in the pilot 7
56		-	program, shall submit a progress report on the pilot program to the Joint Legislative Oversight 8
57		-	Committee on Health and Human Services and the Fiscal Research Division by March 31, 2026, 9
58		-	with any concerns or recommendations for program expansion. A final report shall be submitted 10
59		-	by December 31, 2026, and shall include, at a minimum, the following: 11
60		-	(1) The local partnerships and community colleges participating in the pilot 12
61		-	program. 13
62		-	(2) The number of students enrolled in each academy, by county. 14
63		-	(3) The number of students who successfully completed the academy, by county. 15
64		-	(4) The number of newly credentialed graduates employed as lead teachers in 16
65		-	licensed child care programs, by county. 17
66		-	(5) The outcomes achieved from the pilot program, including any 18
67		-	recommendations for expanding the program statewide. 19
68		-	(6) The number of new child care slots available as a result of adding the new 20
69		-	lead teachers. 21
70		-	(7) Total program costs, including any administrative costs borne by the county. 22
71		-	(8) The amount of funds needed to expand the program statewide. 23
72		-	(9) Recommendations on developing and implementing a similar academy for 24
73		-	child care directors. 25
74		-	SECTION 7.(a) The provisions of this act shall become effective only if funds are 26
75		-	appropriated by the General Assembly to the Department of Health and Human Services, 27
76		-	Division of Child Development and Early Education, to be allocated to the North Carolina 28
77		-	Partnership for Children, Inc., for one or both fiscal years of the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium for 29
78		-	the purpose of developing and implementing the pilot program described in this act. 30
79		-	SECTION 7.(b) If funds are appropriated for the pilot program as provided in 31
80		-	subsection (a) of this section, a local partnership may provide each graduate with a one-time 32
81		-	stipend. If a one-time stipend for completing the course is provided, the amount shall be at the 33
82		-	discretion of the local partnership but shall not be less than one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00). 34
83		-	Students shall be eligible to receive an additional one-time stipend in the amount of five hundred 35
84		-	dollars ($500.00) in State funds after completing one year of employment as a lead teacher in a 36
85		-	licensed child care program in this State. 37
86		-	SECTION 8. This act is effective when it becomes law. 38
	29	+	SECTION 3. The Community Colleges System Office and local community colleges 17
	30	+	shall coordinate to ensure that graduates of the child care workforce academies meet all 18
	31	+	requirements to be credentialed with the North Carolina Early Childhood Credential as lead 19
	32	+	teachers in child care in this State. 20
	33	+	SECTION 4. Each child care workforce academy (academy) shall seek to enroll no 21
	34	+	less than 10 students, with a goal of enrolling 15 students in each course. The academy shall 22
	35	+	operate up to eight hours per day over a two- to three-week period. A participating community 23
	36	+	college shall strive to offer an academy up to three times per year, with at least one of the three 24
	37	+	academies occurring at the end of the traditional public school calendar year to allow 25
	38	+	participation by interested high school and college students. The academy shall be offered 26
	39	+	free-of-charge to applicants. Students participating in the academy shall receive the knowledge, 27
	40	+	skills, and training, including the necessary health screenings, background checks, and 28
	41	+	fingerprinting, required for employment as a lead teacher in a licensed child care program in this 29
	42	+	State. Upon successful completion of the academy, each student shall receive a North Carolina 30
	43	+	Early Childhood Credential that will enable the student to begin teaching in a licensed child care 31
	44	+	program immediately upon graduation. A local partnership may provide each graduate with a 32
	45	+	one-time stipend. If a one-time stipend for completing the course is provided, the amount shall 33
	46	+	be at the discretion of the local partnership but shall not be less than one hundred fifty dollars 34
	47	+	($150.00). Students shall be eligible to receive an additional one-time stipend in the amount of 35 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
	48	+	Page 2 House Bill 389-First Edition
	49	+	five hundred dollars ($500.00) in State funds after completing one year of employment as a lead 1
	50	+	teacher in a licensed child care program in this State. 2
	51	+	SECTION 5. The North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc., and local 3
	52	+	partnerships shall (i) collaborate with the community college in the county or counties in which 4
	53	+	the local partnership is located, as practicable, to implement the child care workforce academy 5
	54	+	and (ii) ensure information about the child care workforce academy in the respective county is 6
	55	+	made available to the public. 7
	56	+	SECTION 6.(a) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 8
	57	+	Health and Human Services, Division of Child Development and Early Education, the sum of 9
	58	+	seven hundred thirty-eight thousand dollars ($738,000) in nonrecurring funds for each year of 10
	59	+	the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium to be allocated to the North Carolina Partnership for Children, 11
	60	+	Inc., to provide the State match for implementing the pilot program described in this act as 12
	61	+	follows: 13
	62	+	(1) The sum of four hundred eighty-six thousand dollars ($486,000) for each year 14
	63	+	of the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium for the State portion of tuition costs. 15
	64	+	(2) The sum of two hundred fifty-two thousand dollars ($252,000) for each year 16
	65	+	of the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium for the stipends provided with State funds 17
	66	+	in accordance with Section 4 of this act. 18
	67	+	SECTION 6.(b) Funds described in subsection (a) of this section shall be allocated 19
	68	+	equally among the local partnerships selected to participate in the pilot program. Local 20
	69	+	partnerships shall provide documentation of a twenty-five percent (25%) local match as a 21
	70	+	condition of receiving State funds under this act. Any unexpended and unencumbered funds at 22
	71	+	the end of each fiscal year from the funds provided under this section shall not revert to the 23
	72	+	General Fund but shall remain available for use in accordance with this act. Funds appropriated 24
	73	+	under this act shall not be used for administrative costs. 25
	74	+	SECTION 7. The North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc. (NCPC), in 26
	75	+	collaboration with the local partnerships and community colleges participating in the pilot 27
	76	+	program, shall submit a progress report on the pilot program to the Joint Legislative Oversight 28
	77	+	Committee on Health and Human Services and the Fiscal Research Division by March 31, 2026, 29
	78	+	with any concerns or recommendations for program expansion. A final report shall be submitted 30
	79	+	by December 31, 2026, and shall include, at a minimum, the following: 31
	80	+	(1) The local partnerships community colleges participating in the pilot program. 32
	81	+	(2) The number of students enrolled in each academy, by county. 33
	82	+	(3) The number of students who successfully completed the academy, by county. 34
	83	+	(4) The number of newly credentialed graduates employed as lead teachers in 35
	84	+	licensed child care programs, by county. 36
	85	+	(5) The outcomes achieved from the pilot program, including any 37
	86	+	recommendations for expanding the program statewide. 38
	87	+	(6) The number of new child care slots available as a result of adding the new 39
	88	+	lead teachers. 40
	89	+	(7) Total program costs, including any administrative costs borne by the county. 41
	90	+	(8) The amount of funds needed to expand the program statewide. 42
	91	+	(9) Recommendations on developing and implementing a similar academy for 43
	92	+	child care directors. 44
	93	+	SECTION 8. This act becomes effective July 1, 2025. 45