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Committee considers new licensure for early childhood educators under OPR
Summary
A bill to create individual licensure for early childhood educators under Title 26 would establish four license categories, a governing board, fee structure with initial waivers, an eight-year transitional license for some providers, and appropriations to stand up the program.
The Senate Health & Welfare committee heard an overview of a bill to license individual early childhood educators under the Office of Professional Regulation (OPR), creating a new chapter in Title 26 and a Board of Early Childhood Educators to govern the profession.
Speaker 2 told the committee the bill is a variation of a prior proposal and would create four licensure categories based on an individual’s education, experience and work setting (center-based programs versus family childcare homes). "It creates a license for the individual provider who’s working, maybe in a childcare center, for example," the staff member said, describing the intent to shift licensure from program-level (DCF) to an individual credentialing model under OPR.
The proposal distinguishes early childhood educators licensed under Title 26 from teachers licensed under Title 16, including those holding endorsements in early childhood education or early childhood special education. It would establish a fee schedule for licensure and waive the first set of fees during the initial round of licensing. The bill offers a transitional license for two categories of providers for up to eight years to allow time to obtain required credentials.
The measure appropriates funds to create and operate the licensure program and would create new positions to manage it. Speaker 2 said the program was expected to be stood up by 2028 (as stated in testimony) and that staff would walk the committee through the bill language in more detail.
The committee recessed for a short break after the overview and planned to continue examination of the bill upon reconvening.
