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Committee advances bill to create task force and expand apprenticeship sites for early educators
Summary
The Government Operations Committee voted to advance HB 2426, which creates a temporary task force to map existing early-educator training resources and allows licensed childcare centers and private preschools to serve as clinical practice sites for registered apprenticeships to help address workforce shortages.
Chairman White, sponsor of House Bill 2426, told the House Government Operations Committee the bill aims to shore up Tennessee's early-educator pipeline after federal funding cuts eliminated the Tennessee Early Childhood Training Alliance (TECTA). "Rather than creating something new, this bill establishes a temporary task force led by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development," White said, adding the task force will evaluate available education and workforce resources, identify gaps and recommend better alignment of existing investments.
The bill also authorizes a narrow change to allow licensed childcare centers and private preschools to serve as approved clinical practice sites for registered apprenticeships so trainees can earn credentials while working in early childhood settings. "These apprenticeship programs allow individuals to earn their key credentials while working in the early childhood settings," the sponsor said, calling it a "proven strategy to grow the workforce while reducing financial barriers."
Committee members questioned whether the bill addresses retention and pay, and whether participating centers would meet consistent standards. Representative Renau asked if the legislation focuses on why people leave the field and on retention strategies; White cited low pay as a key driver and said separate legislation under consideration would target compensation. Representative McKenzie and others pressed for quality standards across sites; White said the proposal works with educator-preparation providers and the Tennessee Department of Education to maintain oversight and standards.
On funding, White said he was not specifying general-fund appropriations and suggested a dedicated revenue stream could come from taxes on vaping or hemp products being considered elsewhere in the legislature. The committee recorded no additional conditions on the bill.
The committee voted to advance HB 2426 out of Government Operations by recorded voice: 14 ayes, 1 nay. The bill will proceed to the next committee (finance/ways and means) as scheduled.
The immediate next step: HB 2426 moves to finance and means for further consideration.
