325 ILCS 80/ Early Childhood Workforce Act.

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CHILDREN
(325 ILCS 80/) Early Childhood Workforce Act.

325 ILCS 80/Art. 5

    (325 ILCS 80/Art. 5 heading) Article 5.(Amendatory provisions; text omitted)(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)

325 ILCS 80/Art. 10

    (325 ILCS 80/Art. 10 heading) Article 10.(Amendatory provisions; text omitted)(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)

325 ILCS 80/Art. 15

    (325 ILCS 80/Art. 15 heading) Article 15.(The Equitable Early Childhood Education and Care Act is compiled at 325 ILCS 75/)(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)

325 ILCS 80/Art. 20

    (325 ILCS 80/Art. 20 heading) Article 20.(The Data Governance and Organization to Support Equity and Racial Justice Act is compiled at 20 ILCS 65/)(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)

325 ILCS 80/Art. 25

    (325 ILCS 80/Art. 25 heading) Article 25.(Amendatory provisions; text omitted)(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)

325 ILCS 80/Art. 35

    (325 ILCS 80/Art. 35 heading) Article 35.(The Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Consultations Act is compiled at 405 ILCS 47/)(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)

325 ILCS 80/Art. 40

    (325 ILCS 80/Art. 40 heading) Article 40.(Amendatory provisions; text omitted)(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)

325 ILCS 80/Art. 45

    (325 ILCS 80/Art. 45 heading) Article 45.
(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)

325 ILCS 80/45-1
    (325 ILCS 80/45-1)
    Sec. 45-1. Short title. This Article may be cited as the Early Childhood Workforce Act. References in this Article to "this Act" mean this Article.
(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)

325 ILCS 80/45-5
    (325 ILCS 80/45-5)
    Sec. 45-5. Findings; policies.
    (a) The General Assembly finds the following:
        (1) Research shows that early childhood teacher

effectiveness is a predictor for positive developmental and academic outcomes for children.
        (2) The work of early childhood educators is

sophisticated and central to the healthy learning and development of young children and takes place in a range of settings, including schools, community-based centers, and homes.
        (3) It is critically important for children's

outcomes to have educators that reflect the diversity of the families and communities they serve.
        (4) The early childhood workforce is more racially

diverse than the K-12 workforce, and its members hold degrees, have earned credentials, and have years of experience in the field.
        (5) The early childhood workforce, particularly those

working in community-based settings and those working with infants and toddlers, often are not paid wages aligned to the sophistication of their work and level of education.
        (6) All regions and settings have difficulty finding

qualified teachers.
        (7) A disproportionate number of Black and Latinx

women serve in essential, frontline positions but are underrepresented as lead teachers and in program leadership where credentials and degrees are required.
        (8) The early childhood workforce faces multiple

barriers to additional credential and degree attainment that lead to career advancement and higher levels of compensation.
    (b) The General Assembly encourages all of the following:
        (1) The Department of Human Services to undertake an

analysis of teacher data in the Gateways Registry to determine those individuals who are close to their next credential or degree, including information where available in the Registry such as their geographic location, demographics, work setting, and age groups of children for whom they are responsible.
        (2) The Department of Human Services to conduct

outreach and provide targeted coaching and access to financial supports, including, but not limited to, scholarships and debt relief, in a way that prioritizes increasing the diversity of the teacher pipeline, including bilingual providers and educators, regions of the State with the highest need, and children in age groups with the greatest teacher shortages.
        (3) The State Board of Education to provide

additional financial support to candidates and provide this support to all candidates regardless of the setting in which they work and the credentials they are currently seeking, prioritizing those by greatest need in the early childhood field.
        (4) The Department of Human Services to provide

annual reports on who receives these and other scholarships or other financial support administered by the Department or the State Board of Education by geographic location, demographics, work setting, age groups of children served, and credential/degree attainment as available.
        (5) The Board of Higher Education, in the course of

their strategic planning process, to review the barriers experienced by the early childhood workforce and by teachers of color, in particular in accessing and completing the needed coursework to attain additional credentials and degrees, and to recommend policy or practice changes to better meet the needs of this workforce, which is largely comprised of non-traditional students and women of color.
        (6) The State Board of Education and the Department

of Human Services to prioritize reducing compensation disparities between the early childhood workforce and their K-12 counterparts and disparities within the early childhood workforce between setting and age groups in which they work, as funding becomes available.
(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)

325 ILCS 80/Art. 50

    (325 ILCS 80/Art. 50 heading) Article 50.(Amendatory provisions; text omitted)(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)

325 ILCS 80/Art. 60

    (325 ILCS 80/Art. 60 heading) Article 60.(Amendatory provisions; text omitted)(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)

325 ILCS 80/Art. 65

    (325 ILCS 80/Art. 65 heading) Article 65.(Amendatory provisions; text omitted)(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)

325 ILCS 80/Art. 70

    (325 ILCS 80/Art. 70 heading) Article 70.(Amendatory provisions; text omitted)(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)

325 ILCS 80/Art. 75

    (325 ILCS 80/Art. 75 heading) Article 75.(Amendatory provisions; text omitted)(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)

325 ILCS 80/Art. 85

    (325 ILCS 80/Art. 85 heading) Article 85.(Amendatory provisions; text omitted)(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)

325 ILCS 80/Art. 95

    (325 ILCS 80/Art. 95 heading) Article 95.(The Equity in Higher Education Act is compiled at 110 ILCS 235/)(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)

325 ILCS 80/Art. 100

    (325 ILCS 80/Art. 100 heading) Article 100.(The Developmental Education Reform Act is compiled at 110 ILCS 175/)(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)

325 ILCS 80/Art. 115

    (325 ILCS 80/Art. 115 heading) Article 115.(Amendatory provisions; text omitted)(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)

325 ILCS 80/Art. 120

    (325 ILCS 80/Art. 120 heading) Article 120.(Amendatory provisions; text omitted)(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)

325 ILCS 80/Art. 125

    (325 ILCS 80/Art. 125 heading) Article 125.(Amendatory provisions; text omitted)(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)

325 ILCS 80/Art. 130

    (325 ILCS 80/Art. 130 heading) Article 130.(The Transitions in Education Act is compiled at 110 ILCS 180/)(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)

325 ILCS 80/Art. 135

    (325 ILCS 80/Art. 135 heading) Article 135.(Amendatory provisions; text omitted)(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)

325 ILCS 80/Art. 145

    (325 ILCS 80/Art. 145 heading) Article 145.(The Early Education Act is compiled at 325 ILCS 21/)(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)

325 ILCS 80/Art. 150

    (325 ILCS 80/Art. 150 heading) Article 150.(Amendatory provisions; text omitted)(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)

325 ILCS 80/Art. 155

    (325 ILCS 80/Art. 155 heading) Article 155.(Amendatory provisions; text omitted)(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)

325 ILCS 80/Art. 999

    (325 ILCS 80/Art. 999 heading) Article 999.
(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)

325 ILCS 80/999-999
    (325 ILCS 80/999-999)
    Sec. 999-999. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.
(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)