Amendment ID: S2973-20-R1

Redraft Amendment 20

Scholarships for Credentials and Certificates

Mr. Moore, Ms. Rausch and Messrs. O'Connor, Keenan and Brady move that the proposed new draft be amended in section 3, in chapter 15A, by striking out proposed section 19F and inserting in place thereof the following section:-

“Section 19F.  (a) Subject to appropriation, the board shall, in coordination with the board of early education and care, establish an early education and child care educator scholarship program for early education and child care sector educators pursuant to clause (10) of section 5 of chapter 15D, including, but not limited to, standards and application criteria for the administration of the program including mechanisms to ensure the scholarship provides meaningful improvements in the delivery of high-quality early education and child care.

(b) The scholarship may be used to cover the cost of tuition, fees or course-related expenses, including, but not limited to, supports unique to the diverse learning needs of the field, including personal child care expenses in order to attend classes and class meetings, and other supports deemed appropriate by the boards, for credential, certificate or degree-granting programs for early educators who are pursuing early education credentials, associate-level or bachelor-level degrees to meet the teacher and program quality standards of the department of early education and care.

(c) The board of higher education and the board of early education and care shall determine the scholarship amount; provided, however, that each scholarship amount shall, at a minimum, be sufficient to cover the full cost of a credential or certificate at a boards approved provider; and provided further, that the cost of a municipally-owned college credential or certificate shall be considered when determining scholarship amounts.

(d) Eligible recipients shall be current or prospective early education and child care educators and providers employed in early education and child care programs in the commonwealth who commit to teaching in early education and child care programs for a term of service to be determined by the boards and shall reflect the diversity of the commonwealth’s early education and child care workforce.

(e) Preference shall be given to applicants identified as providers who have displayed a proven commitment to early childhood education.

(f) The program shall be administered by the department, in collaboration with the department of early education and care, in a manner that ensures recipients receive adequate support in selecting programs and courses that lead to credentials and further their career in early education and child care.”.