An Act To Build a Child Care System by Recruiting and Retaining Maine's Early Childhood Educators Workforce
Maine Legislature, Session 130, LD 1652
Committee: Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Business
Sponsors: FECTEAU, JACKSON, HASENFUS, MILLETT, ROBERTS, DAUGHTRY, STEWART
Amends: 22 MRSA §3740-A

Legislative Document
No. 1652
H.P. 1223
House of Representatives, May 5, 2021
An Act To Build a Child Care System by Recruiting and Retaining 
Maine's Early Childhood Educators Workforce
Received by the Clerk of the House on May 3, 2021.  Referred to the Committee on 
Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Business pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 
and ordered printed pursuant to Joint Rule 401.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Speaker FECTEAU of Biddeford.
Cosponsored by President JACKSON of Aroostook and
Representatives: HASENFUS of Readfield, McDONALD of Stonington, MILLETT of 
Waterford, MILLETT of Cape Elizabeth, ROBERTS of South Berwick, Senators: 
DAUGHTRY of Cumberland, STEWART of Aroostook.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  22 MRSA §3740-A is enacted to read:
§3740-A.  Early childhood educators workforce support program
The commissioner, the Commissioner of Education and the Commissioner of Labor 
jointly shall develop and implement an early childhood educators workforce support 
program, referred to in this section as "the program," to recruit and retain early childhood 
educators working with children up to 5 years of age.  Components of the program must 
include the following:
1.  Career and technical education.  Increasing opportunities for course work in early 
childhood education by:
A.  Expanding the number of career and technical education centers at which early 
childhood education programs are available; and
B.  Supporting early childhood education courses through funding for training and the 
purchase of updated textbooks, equipment and other course materials;
2.  Comprehensive scholarships.  Providing comprehensive scholarships that allow 
individuals, such as those providing family child care, directors of child care centers and 
early childhood educators, to attain early childhood education credentials and take courses 
at accredited institutions leading to associate, bachelor's or master's degrees.  The 
scholarships must be structured with the goal of allowing an individual who agrees to work 
for at least one year following graduation with an approved employer to graduate without 
student debt;
3.  Apprenticeships.  Expanding the number of apprenticeships available in early 
childhood child care.  The apprenticeships must be registered with the Department of Labor 
and offered in partnership with a professional development network that promotes and 
supports professionalism in the early childhood child care and education field and that is 
operated by an institution for higher education as defined in section 2053, subsection 4-B 
and that must meet any additional criteria established by rules adopted pursuant to this 
section;
4.  Salary supplements.  Establishing a system of salary supplements for providers of 
child care and early childhood educators working with children up to 5 years of age.  The 
system of salary supplements must:
A.  Be on a graded scale that awards salary supplements to an individual based on the 
course credits or credentials earned and the level of education and experience of the 
individual;
B.  Award salary supplements to an individual whose employer is a program or school 
that is ranked by the office based on the quality of the program or school; and
C.  Award salary supplements to an individual who has registered on a statewide 
registry that uses a registry member's work, education and training histories, along with 
any professional credentials, to assign a level on a scale appropriate to that career;
5.  Articulation agreements.  Collaborating with local adult education providers of 
school administrative units, apprenticeship sponsors, career and technical education 
programs, the Maine Community College System and the University of Maine System to 
create articulation agreements between these entities for the transfer of credits for course 
work related to early childhood education and to facilitate enrollment in courses that lead 
to the issuance of a postsecondary degree by a degree-granting institution; and
6.  Support for immigrants and those new to the workforce.  Collaborating with 
local adult education providers of school administrative units, apprenticeship sponsors, 
career and technical education programs, the Maine Community College System and the 
University of Maine System to support individuals, including immigrants and other 
populations lacking experience in the State's workforce, who require foundational skills 
development to enter and succeed in early childhood education courses, including but not 
limited to English as a second language, literacy, numeracy and employability skills.
The commissioner shall collect early childhood educators workforce and child care 
data, including, but not limited to, workforce demographics, salaries and benefits, 
enrollment and staffing demographics in child care facilities and facilities operated by 
family child care providers licensed or certified pursuant to section 8301-A and cost-of-
care and affordability assessments, with race, ethnicity and geographic information within 
all datasets.  The commissioner, the Commissioner of Education and the Commissioner of 
Labor jointly shall biennially submit a report for presentation to the Legislature including 
a review of the adequacy of the pathways to early childhood education careers and an 
evaluation of how the collection of early childhood educators workforce and child care data 
and coordinated, dedicated funding are supporting the ongoing development of an early 
child care and education system.
The commissioner, the Commissioner of Education and the Commissioner of Labor 
jointly shall adopt routine technical rules pursuant to Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A 
to implement the provisions of this section.
Sec. 2.  Appropriations and allocations.  The following appropriations and 
allocations are made.
EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF
General Purpose Aid for Local Schools 0308
Initiative: Provides ongoing funds to support the expansion of early childhood education 
programs currently offered by 20 career and technical education centers in the State to 27 
career and technical education centers and to update textbooks, equipment and other 
curriculum materials.
GENERAL FUND
2021-22
2022-23
   All Other
$100,000
$100,000
__________
__________
GENERAL FUND TOTAL
$100,000
$100,000
EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF
DEPARTMENT TOTALS
2021-22
2022-23
   GENERAL FUND
$100,000
$100,000
__________
__________
DEPARTMENT TOTAL - ALL FUNDS
$100,000
$100,000
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF
Child Care Services 0563
Initiative: Provides ongoing funding for education-based and experience-based salary 
supplements for early childhood educators working with young children from birth to 5 
years of age.
GENERAL FUND
2021-22
2022-23
   All Other
$4,500,000
$4,500,000
__________
__________
GENERAL FUND TOTAL
$4,500,000
$4,500,000
Child Care Services 0563
Initiative: Provides ongoing allocations for comprehensive scholarships to early childhood 
educators working with children from birth to 5 years of age.
FEDERAL BLOCK GRANT FUND
2021-22
2022-23
   All Other
$200,000
$200,000
__________
__________
FEDERAL BLOCK GRANT FUND TOTAL
$200,000
$200,000
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, 
DEPARTMENT OF
DEPARTMENT TOTALS
2021-22
2022-23
   GENERAL FUND
$4,500,000
$4,500,000
   FEDERAL BLOCK GRANT FUND
$200,000
$200,000
__________
__________
DEPARTMENT TOTAL - ALL FUNDS
$4,700,000
$4,700,000
LABOR, DEPARTMENT OF
Employment Services Activity 0852
Initiative: Provides ongoing funds to expand the apprenticeship program for those working 
in the field of early childhood child care and education offered by the Maine Roads to 
Quality Professional Development Network in partnership with the State's higher education 
system and for the staffing and indirect costs to support the program.
GENERAL FUND
2021-22
2022-23
   All Other
$200,000
$200,000
__________
__________
GENERAL FUND TOTAL
$200,000
$200,000
LABOR, DEPARTMENT OF
DEPARTMENT TOTALS
2021-22
2022-23
   GENERAL FUND
$200,000
$200,000
__________
__________
DEPARTMENT TOTAL - ALL FUNDS
$200,000
$200,000
SECTION TOTALS
2021-22
2022-23
   GENERAL FUND
$4,800,000
$4,800,000
   FEDERAL BLOCK GRANT FUND
$200,000
$200,000
__________
__________
SECTION TOTAL - ALL FUNDS
$5,000,000
$5,000,000
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Commissioner of Health and Human Services, the Commissioner 
of Education and the Commissioner of Labor jointly to develop and implement an early 
childhood educators workforce support program to recruit and retain early childhood 
educators working with children up to 5 years of age.  Components of the program include:
1.  Expansion of educational programs at career and technical education centers and 
financial support of those programs;
2.  Comprehensive scholarships for persons taking classes toward the attainment of an 
early childhood education credential or an associate, bachelor's or master's degree that 
allow the persons to graduate without student debt as long as the persons agree to work for 
a year with an approved employer;
3.  An increased number of apprenticeships;
4.  Salary supplements awarded to individuals who provide child care or who are early 
childhood educators.  The amount of the supplement is based on the level of education and 
experience of the individual and other factors;
5.  Articulation agreements between local adult education providers of school 
administrative units, apprenticeship sponsors, career and technical education programs, the 
Maine Community College System and the University of Maine System for the transfer of 
credits for course work related to early childhood education and to facilitate enrollment in 
courses that lead to the issuance of a postsecondary degree by a degree-granting institution; 
and
6.  Collaboration between local adult education providers of school administrative 
units, apprenticeship sponsors, career and technical education programs, the Maine 
Community College System and the University of Maine System to provide support for 
individuals, including immigrants and other populations lacking experience in Maine's 
workforce, who require foundational skills development to enter and succeed in early 
childhood education courses, including but not limited to English as a second language, 
literacy, numeracy and employability skills.
The bill also requires a biennial report to be made by the commissioners to the 
Legislature including a review of the adequacy of the pathways to early childhood 
education careers and an evaluation of how the improved collection of workforce and child 
care data and coordinated, dedicated funding are supporting the ongoing development of 
an early child care and education system.