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Bill would create a three‑tier licensure system for Vermont early childhood educators, with long transition periods to protect workforce
Summary
A House committee heard detailed testimony on S.206, which would establish ECE1–ECE3 professional licensure, a legacy family child care license and multiple transitional pathways aimed at preserving current providers while creating individual accountability through public discipline and interagency complaint coordination.
The House Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee on April 7 took up S.206, a bill that would establish a licensed professional framework for early childhood educators in Vermont and create multiple, phased pathways for current workers to meet new education requirements.
For the record, Lauren Hibbert, deputy secretary of state, and Jennifer Coen, director of the Office of Professional Regulation (OPR), briefed the committee on the bill’s structure and the office’s approach. They said S.206 would create three stackable credentials—early childhood educator 1 (ECE1), 2 (ECE2) and 3 (ECE3)—and add a legacy family child care provider pathway to avoid displacing current providers.
Why it matters: OPR staff framed the proposal as both a public‑protection measure and a workforce policy. Under current law, the Child Development Division (CDD) regulates facilities but not every individual who works in them; the bill would license individuals so OPR can maintain public discipline records, accept complaints and, when warranted, suspend or revoke licenses.
What the bill would…
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