SB 2404

ON MARCH 16, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 2404, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #1 r ewrites this bill to: (1) Create an early educator workforce development resource task force to assess the existing state workforce, education, and training resources available to support early educators or aspiring early educators and to identify gaps and opportunities to strengthen wor kforce pathways for early educators, in a manner consistent with the state's workforce development priorities ; and (2) A llow , under certain circumstances, privately operated child care programs a nd child care agencies that serve children from birth until kindergarten enrollment to be eligible to be approved as a clinical practice site for an educator preparation program . The task force will be composed of: (1) The commissioner of labor and workforce development who serves as chair of the task force; (2) The commissioner of education, or the commissioner's designee; (3) The commissioner of human services, or the commissioner's designee; (4) The commissioner of economic and community development, or the commissioner's designee; (5) The chancellor of the board of regents, or the chancellor's designee; (6) The executive director of the Tennessee higher education commission, or the executive director's designee; (7) The executive director of the state workforce development board, or the executive director's designee, who serves as a nonvoting, advisory member; (8) One member from the private sector who is an early childhood advocate, who is appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives and who serves as co-chair of the task force; (9) One member who is an early childhood education leader from a community college, who is appointed by the speaker of the senate; (10) One member who is an early childhood education leader from a high school career and technical education program in early childhood, who is appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives; and (11) One member who is an early childhood educator from a private child care program, who is appointed by the speaker of the senate. The full text of this amendment specifies various organizational and procedural requirements for the task force. The task force is administratively attached to the department of labor and workforce development . Th is amendment requires the t ask force to do the following : (1) Identify and categorize existing state-administered or state-supported resources available to support the education, training, credential attainment, and career pathways for becoming an early educator; (2) Examine how the resources identified pursuant (1) may be better aligned, coordinated, or leveraged to support entry, advancement, credential attainment, and degree completion in the early educator pipeline; (3) Assess gaps in training, credentialing, and education resources for early educators, including gaps resulting from the discontinuation of prior workforce supported programs; (4) Identify potential strategies to address any gaps identified pursuant to (3); and (5) Develop recommendations to improve access to, and the effectiveness of, workforce pathways for early educators. The task force co-chair will compile a report of the task force's findings and recommendations and submit the report, no later than December 31, 2026, to the governor, the education committee and the commerce and labor committee of the senate, and the committees of the house of representati ves having jurisdiction over early childhood education and labor and workforce development. The task force ceases to exist upon the submission of the report. This amendment requires the state board of education to promulgate rules to create a pathway to allow privately operated child care programs and child care agencies that serve children from birth until kindergarten enrollment to be eligible to be approved as a clinical practice site for an educator preparatio n program (EPP) that offers a pathway for students to receive an early childhood education birth to kindergarten endorsement on their initial license, if t he EPP operates a registered apprenticeship pr ogram approved by the department of education and the clinical practice site meets the following criteria : ( 1 ) Be a child care agency licensed by the department of human services pursuant that serves children from birth until kindergarten enrollment or b e a child care program that is certified, approved, or otherwise authorized by the department of education that serves children from birth until kindergarten enrollment; and (2) Meet the requirements for clinical experiences and standards established by the policies of the state board of education.