Early Childhood Educator Professional Improvement Act of 2026
Sponsored By: Senator Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM]
Introduced
Summary
This bill would create a state-level system to strengthen training, credentials, and pay for early childhood educators. It would let HHS award five-year grants to states to design, run, and renew comprehensive professional development systems tied to outcomes and compliance.
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- Early childhood educators: Grants support long-term professional development, credential attainment, and career and wage lattices that aim to boost qualifications and compensation for workers in early childhood education programs.
- Families and children: By raising workforce skills and supporting training that is linguistically and culturally appropriate, the program aims to improve learning and care, including supports for dual language learners and students from low-income or minority communities.
- States and colleges: To get funds, states must coordinate across agencies, higher education institutions, and early childhood organizations, set oversight and educator standards, create articulation agreements, expand accessible course offerings, use workforce data, and meet a maintenance-of-effort requirement. Funding is authorized for FY2027–2032 and is contingent on appropriations.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Scholarships and pay raises for educators
If enacted, the bill would require States that get grants to offer scholarships and pay supports for employed early childhood educators. Scholarships would cover tuition, fees, materials, transportation, paid substitutes, and release time for those pursuing a bachelor's in early childhood education or a close field. States would also help educators with degrees in other fields get credentials, licensure, or endorsements. Grants would support higher pay while educators work toward a degree and pay parity after degree completion if they stay in the program. The bill would also fund ongoing training for educators and teacher assistants on child development, interactions, family engagement, and cultural competence.
State grants for educator improvement
If enacted, the bill would let HHS, with Education, award 5-year grants to States to build comprehensive systems improving early childhood educator credentials, pay, and training. Grant funding would be paid year by year only if Congress provides appropriations and the State meets grant terms. States would need to apply and show the system was developed with many partners and that it includes oversight, educator standards, a career and wage lattice, college coordination and articulation, accessible courses for working and rural students, supports for dual language learners and low-income or minority communities, workforce data use, and long-term financing. States that get funds would have to keep or increase their own spending on the covered activities from the prior year and must use federal funds to supplement, not replace, other Federal, State, or local money. The bill would define covered programs and colleges by reference to sections of the Higher Education Act and authorize "such sums as may be necessary" for fiscal years 2027 through 2032.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM]
NM • D
Cosponsors
Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH]
NH • D
Sponsored 8/5/2026
Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM]
NM • D
Sponsored 8/5/2026
Sen. Kim, Andy [D-NJ]
NJ • D
Sponsored 8/5/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov