Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB4980 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R13674 CMO-F
2	2	By: Wilson H.B. No. 4980
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to establishing the Child-Care Professional Pathway
10	10	program.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 29, Education Code, is
13	13	amended by adding Section 29.919 to read as follows:
14	14	Sec. 29.919. CHILD-CARE PROFESSIONAL PATHWAY PROGRAM. (a)
15	15	In this section:
16	16	(1) "Certificate program" and "institution of higher
17	17	education" have the meanings assigned by Section 61.003.
18	18	(2) "Program" means the Child-Care Professional
19	19	Pathway program established under this section.
20	20	(b) The commissioner shall establish and administer the
21	21	Child-Care Professional Pathway program to provide opportunities
22	22	for students to concurrently earn high school diplomas and
23	23	certificates from institutions of higher education.
24	24	(c) The commissioner shall approve for participation in the
25	25	program partnerships between school districts or open-enrollment
26	26	charter schools and institutions of higher education to provide
27	27	courses in a non-duplicative sequence of progressive achievement
28	28	that lead to:
29	29	(1) a high school diploma; and
30	30	(2) completion of:
31	31	(A) a Child Development Associate certificate
32	32	program with a successful job placement rate in the field of
33	33	professional child care; or
34	34	(B) an associate degree in human development,
35	35	psychology, sociology, applied science in early childhood
36	36	education, or another discipline relevant to the field of
37	37	professional child care.
38	38	(d) A partnership participating in the program must:
39	39	(1) enable the school district or open-enrollment
40	40	charter school to provide at least one course of study described by
41	41	Subsection (c) through a partnership with an institution of higher
42	42	education under the program;
43	43	(2) provide for a course of study described by
44	44	Subsection (c) that enables a participating student in grade level
45	45	11 or 12 to concurrently:
46	46	(A) enroll in a certificate or degree program
47	47	described by Subsection (c) at the partnering institution of higher
48	48	education under which the student may receive instruction from an
49	49	instructor employed by the institution and any appropriate
50	50	work-based learning opportunities from the institution and earn:
51	51	(i) a Child Development Associate
52	52	credential; or
53	53	(ii) another credential, including a
54	54	certificate and associate degree that may be earned concurrently
55	55	under a hybrid program approved by commissioner rule; and
56	56	(B) satisfy high school graduation requirements
57	57	and receive a high school diploma;
58	58	(3) require the partnering school district or
59	59	open-enrollment charter school to permit all district or school
60	60	students in grade level 11 or 12 to enroll in a course of study
61	61	provided under Subdivision (2);
62	62	(4) be governed by an articulation agreement between
63	63	the partnering school district or open-enrollment charter school
64	64	and institution of higher education; and
65	65	(5) meet any other requirements established by
66	66	commissioner rule.
67	67	(e) A course of study provided under the program must be
68	68	provided at no cost to the student.
69	69	(f) The commissioner may approve the substitution of one
70	70	credit in a subject area required for high school graduation under
71	71	Section 28.025 with one credit in a child-care professional
72	72	education course provided by an institution of higher education
73	73	under the program that substantially covers the essential knowledge
74	74	and skills of the course for which it is substituted.
75	75	(g) A child-care professional education course authorized
76	76	as a substitute credit under Subsection (f) may not count:
77	77	(1) for more than one credit toward the student's high
78	78	school graduation requirements; or
79	79	(2) as a credit for more than one subject area.
80	80	(h) Time that a student spends participating in the program
81	81	is counted as part of the minimum number of instructional hours
82	82	required for a student to be considered a full-time student in
83	83	average daily attendance for purposes of Section 48.005.
84	84	(i) Nothing in this section may be construed to prevent a
85	85	student's participation in child-care professional education
86	86	courses before the student begins participating in the program.
87	87	(j) The commissioner shall adopt rules as necessary to
88	88	administer the program.
89	89	SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2025-2026
90	90	school year.
91	91	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
92	92	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
93	93	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
94	94	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
95	95	Act takes effect September 1, 2025.