To ensure that Early Head Start classrooms are fully staffed, U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) recently offered a bipartisan bill that would permit classroom teachers in the program to simultaneously teach and earn their Child Development Associate (CDA) credential.
Sen. Capito on July 17 cosponsored the Head start Education And Development Workforce Advancement and Yield (HEADWAY) Act, S. 2323, alongside bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) to also help pave the way for greater hiring flexibility and attract more qualified candidates to the profession of early childhood education.
“Workforce shortages in child care centers, including in Head Start and Early Head Start, can be particularly challenging for families and communities because so many parents rely on consistent childcare to be able to work,” Sen. Capito said on July 24. “I am proud to help introduce the HEADWAY Act, which will add staff to Early Head Start classrooms, and give early-career child care workers the skills, mentorship, and experience they need to thrive.”
Specifically, S. 2323 would permit some Early Head Start classroom teachers to be in the process of earning their CDA credential while retaining the requirement that at least one teacher in every classroom is fully credentialed with at least a CDA.
The measure also would require mentorship within the program to facilitate and ensure continued progress toward earning the CDA, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Capito’s staff.
“I’m where I am today because of programs like Head Start,” said Sen. Warnock. “Ensuring our nation’s children have access to quality child care and excellent teachers is crucial, which is why I am so pleased to work across the aisle with Senator Capito on this effort.”
S. 2323 is under consideration by the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.