Andrew Powell
Jacksonville Democratic Rep. Angie Nixon is filing a bill (HB 1623) to establish the Early Education Workforce Support Pilot Program. The program would provide free early education services to the children of early education workers.
In 2024, Florida Department of Education (DOE) chancellor of Early Learning Cari Miller highlighted the importance of early education services, pointing out that 75% of children unprepared for kindergarten are unlikely to catch up to their school peers.
Titled the “Early Education Workforce Support and Access Act,” the Legislature has found that low wages and high demand have led to instability in the child care sector. To address the critical shortage of early education workers, the bill aims to reduce the financial strain on educators while improving job satisfaction and increasing workforce retention.
The pilot program would be established through the DOE, provide free early education to eligible children, and run over two years. The program would provide funds directly to the participating provider for the full cost of tuition of an eligible child, including full-time or part-time care based on family needs.
The DOE would select two counties to participate in the program. Based on workforce shortages and access to child care services, these counties would need to have the highest need for early education workers. The DOE would also establish a process to verify the eligibility of participating providers, early education workers, and eligible children.
To be eligible, an early education worker must be a Florida resident living in the participating county with an eligible child in his or her care. The worker must also have been employed by a licensed child care facility for at least six months for a minimum of 20 hours per week.
The DOE would establish requirements for participating providers and early education workers, as well as grant mechanisms and reimbursement procedures. It would further be responsible for monitoring the program’s implementation to ensure access and evaluating its effectiveness in improving workforce retention in the sector.
Child care providers chosen to participate must maintain compliance with all state and federal licensing and regulatory requirements and would submit data and any other information required by the DOE, including an annual report detailing the enrollment of eligible children, attendance records, and outcomes of the children.
Within 90 days of the pilot program’s completion, the DOE would be required to provide the Legislature with a report on enrollment, workforce retention rates, and the financial impacts of the program. The State Board of Education would adopt rules to establish eligibility verification requirements, provider participation requirements, and reimbursement procedures.
If passed, the bill would come into effect July 1.
