2025 -- S 0673
========
LC001397
========
S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025
____________
A N A C T
RELATING TO EDUCATION -- RHODE ISLAND EARLY EDUCATOR WORKF ORCE ACT
Introduced By: Senators Urso, Euer, Bissaillon, Acosta, DiPalma, and Mack
Date Introduced: March 07, 2025
Referred To: Senate Finance
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. The general assembly hereby finds that: 1
(1) Young children's healthy brain development and learning depends on consistent, 2
nurturing care and enriching learning opportunities at home and in early care and education settings. 3
Starting at birth, day-to-day interactions with family members and early educators shape children’s 4
brain architecture upon which all future learning and development is built. 5
(2) Many of the early educators in Rhode Island earn very low wages even when they 6
achieve credentials equivalent to kindergarten teachers and demonstrate effective practices. 7
Licensed child care and early learning programs across the state report difficulty attracting, 8
developing, and retaining effective early childhood professionals. 9
(3) A 2019 statewide survey of early childhood professionals in Rhode Island found that 10
over forty percent (40%) of infant/toddler educators worried about having enough food to feed their 11
family and fifty percent (50%) worried about having enough money to pay for housing. 12
(4) The 2019 statewide survey also found that almost one-third (1/3) of early educators had 13
a second job to help make ends meet and almost two-thirds (2/3) reported that they plan to leave 14
their early education job if the compensation does not improve. And yet, most report that they enjoy 15
working with children and families and many have earned college credits and degrees in child 16
development and early education. 17
(5) A landmark report issued by the National Academy of Science found that educators of 18
young children, including infants and toddlers, need the same high level of knowledge and 19
LC001397 - Page 2 of 4
competencies as teachers of older children and that educational qualifications and compensation of 1
early educators should be equivalent to those of kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12) teachers. 2
(6) According to 2023 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median wage for 3
a child care teacher in Rhode Island was sixteen dollars and ninety-one cents ($16.91) per hour, in 4
the same range or below the hourly wages of parking lot attendants, maids and housekeepers, 5
farmworkers, animal caretakers, and retail sales workers. 6
(7) By enacting this act, the general assembly acknowledges the need to sustain and 7
strengthen strategies to help licensed child care and early learning programs attract, develop, and 8
retain effective educators to care for and educate children. 9
SECTION 2. Title 16 of the General Laws entitled "EDUCATION" is hereby amended by 10
adding thereto the following chapter: 11
CHAPTER 117 12
RHODE ISLAND EARLY EDUCATOR WORKFORCE ACT 13
16-117-1. Short title. 14
This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Rhode Island Early Educator 15
Workforce Act." 16
16-117-2. Stabilizing and strengthening the early educator workforce. 17
The departments of human services and education, shall work in collaboration to: 18
(1) Allocate sufficient funds to continue the Rhode Island T.E.A.C.H. early childhood 19
program, the statewide, comprehensive, research-based workforce development scholarship 20
program established under § 16-87-4 to support attainment of the national Child Development 21
Associate credential and completion of college coursework and degrees in early childhood 22
education and child or youth development. 23
(2) Allocate sufficient funds to continue and strengthen registered apprenticeships for early 24
educators that support attainment of national credentials, college coursework and degrees while 25
providing opportunities to develop high-quality practices through regular on-the-job coaching by 26
master early educators. 27
(3) Allocate sufficient funds of at least one million dollars ($1,000,000) per year to 28
continue the Child Care WAGE$ program, a national model designed to improve compensation, 29
education, and retention of early educators by providing education-based salary supplements to 30
low-paid center-based educators, directors, and family childcare providers working with children 31
in licensed early childhood programs. 32
LC001397 - Page 3 of 4
SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage. 1
========
LC001397
========
LC001397 - Page 4 of 4
EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO EDUCATION -- RHODE ISLAND EARLY EDUCATOR W ORKFORCE ACT
***
This act would direct the department of human services and the department of education 1
to work collaboratively to sustain and strengthen existing workforce development and 2
compensation programs for educators working in licensed child care and early learning programs 3
statewide and would allocate at least $1,000,000 to continue the Child Care WAGE$ model to help 4
strengthen and sustain the child care workforce 5
This act would take effect upon passage. 6
========
LC001397
========