On Wednesday, Vermont’s Senate Committee on Health and Welfare voted to advance S.206, the Early Childhood Educator Profession Bill, by a 5-0 vote.
Chair and bill sponsor Sen. Ginny Lyons noted that what Senators heard overall was that early childhood educators want professional recognition. That is your advocacy at work! We appreciate the Senators on this committee for really listening to the workforce.
Amendments added to the bill include:
➡️ A legacy ECE II license option for current educators who have 21 college credits in core competency areas, or the equivalent in experiential learning
➡️ Revises the appropriations request to $262,000 for the coming fiscal year (needed for Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) to hire staff, who will work with an ECE-majority governing board to set up the profession)
➡️ Adds report-back language for the Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) to periodically update the legislature about implementation
Here’s the link to the latest bill: S.206 Version 3.1
From here, the bill’s path is likely to be through the Senate Committees on Finance, Government Operations, and Appropriations, and then to the Senate floor for a full vote. As long as this happens before Vermont’s Crossover date, March 13, the bill moves on to the House.
We’re celebrating this week, but the bill has a way to go. Your legislators will need to hear your knowledgeable voice. Stay tuned, advocates!
