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HB 7317

AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- RHODE ISLAND EARLY EDUCATOR WORKFORCE ACT

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Edith Ajello and 9 co-sponsors

Rhode Island would stabilize and elevate its early educators by coordinating scholarships, apprenticeships, and $1,000,000+ annual wage supplements to boost pay, credentials, and r

04/28/2026 Committee recommended measure be held for further study
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Bill Summary · HB 7317

Summary of Bill HB 7317 (Rhode Island, 2026) — Rhode Island Early Educator Workforce Act

Purpose and Intent

  • Establishes the Rhode Island Early Educator Workforce Act to stabilize, strengthen, and sustain the state’s licensed child care and early learning workforce.
  • Recognizes that high-quality early childhood development depends on well-compensated, well-trained educators and seeks to elevate early educators’ qualifications and pay to be on par with K–12 teachers.
  • Aims to improve recruitment, development, and retention of early childhood professionals through targeted workforce development programs and salary supplements funded by public dollars.

Key Provisions

Section 2: Creation of New Chapter

  • Adds Chapter 117 to Title 16 (Education), creating the “Rhode Island Early Educator Workforce Act.”

16-117-2. Stabilizing and strengthening the early educator workforce

  • Requires collaboration between:
    • Department of Human Services (DHS)
    • Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE)
  • Responsibilities include:
    • Managing the Rhode Island TEACH program:
    • The statewide, comprehensive, research-based workforce development scholarship program.
    • Supports attainment of the national Child Development Associate (CDA) credential.
    • Supports completion of college coursework and degrees in early childhood education or child/youth development.
    • Managing apprenticeships for early educators:
    • Apprenticeships support attainment of national credentials and college coursework/degrees.
    • Provide on-the-job coaching by master early educators to promote high-quality practices.
    • Ensuring funding for the Child Care WAGE$ program:
    • Allocates at least $1,000,000 annually to continue wage supplements.
    • WAGE$ is a national model designed to improve compensation, education, and retention for lower-paid center-based educators and family child care providers in licensed programs.

Section 3: Effective Date

  • The act takes effect upon passage.

Targeted Programs and Mechanisms

  • RI TEACH Program (16-87-4 referenced):
    • A workforce development scholarship program to support early childhood credentials and degree attainment.
  • Registered Apprenticeships:
    • Structured on-the-job training with mentoring to advance credentials and professional practice.
  • Child Care WAGE$ Program:
    • Education-based salary supplements to raise wages for lower-paid early educators, aiding retention and program stability.

Affected Parties

  • Licensed child care centers and early learning programs in Rhode Island.
  • Early educators working with infants, toddlers, and young children.
  • Families and children reliant on licensed early childhood programs.
  • State agencies: Department of Human Services and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
  • Prospective and current students pursuing credentials or degrees in early childhood education.

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

  • Introduced January 23, 2026.
  • Referred to House Finance; scheduled for hearings and potential committee action.
  • As of the latest action, the Committee recommended the measure be held for further study (April 28, 2026).
  • Effective date: upon passage (immediate implementation anticipated upon enactment).

Financial Implications

  • Requires ongoing annual funding of at least $1,000,000 to support the Child Care WAGE$ program.
  • Additional funding would support scholarships (RI TEACH) and apprenticeship initiatives, though specific annual budget figures for those components are not specified in the bill text.

Summary

HB 7317 seeks to modernize and stabilize Rhode Island’s early educator workforce by tying together scholarships (RI TEACH), apprenticeships, and wage supplements (WAGE$) under a coordinated effort led by DHS and ESE. The goal is to attract, educate, and retain qualified early educators by aligning compensation and professional development with those of K–12 teachers, thereby supporting healthy brain development and learning for Rhode Island’s youngest children. The bill focuses on funding, credential attainment, and structured on-the-job training as core levers for workforce improvement.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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