AN ACT CONCERNING EARLY CHILDHOOD CREDENTIALING FOR SCHOOL READINESS PROGRAMS.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

That subsection (b) of section 10-16p of the general statutes be amended to require that on and after July 1, 2015, at least fifty per cent of the individuals with the primary responsibility for a group of children in a school readiness program hold certification with an endorsement in early childhood education or hold a bachelor's degree; that subsection (e) of section 10-16p of the general statutes be amended to permit the Commissioner of Education to use certain unexpended funds for the purpose of assisting school readiness programs in satisfying the staff qualifications requirement that personnel hold an associate's or bachelor's degree by using such funds to cover the cost of the necessary higher education courses, provided any person benefiting from such financial assistance be employed in a position related to early childhood education for at least three years after receipt of such financial assistance; and that chapter 164 of the general statutes be amended to require the Department of Higher Education, in consultation with the Departments of Education and Social Services, the Office of Workforce Competitiveness and representatives from public and private institutions of higher education in the state, school readiness programs and any other appropriate organization, shall develop a plan for meeting the staff qualifications requirement in subsection (b) of section 10-16p of the general statutes.

Statement of Purpose:

To amend the staff qualifications for school readiness programs, to provide financial assistance to school readiness programs to meet the staff qualifications requirements, and to require the Department of Higher Education to develop a plan to help assist school readiness programs in meeting the staff qualifications requirements.