Early Childhood Workforce

C.R.S. tit. 26.5, art. 6

in effect

C.R.S. § 26.5-6-101 Plan for early childhood workforce development

26.5-6-101. Plan for early childhood workforce development. (1) The department, in partnership with the early childhood leadership commission, shall develop a plan for recruiting, training, and retaining a well-compensated, well-prepared, high-quality statewide early childhood workforce. In developing the plan, the department and the commission shall work with the departments of education, higher education, and labor and employment and with organizations that have expertise pertaining to the early childhood workforce. At a minimum, the plan must: (a) Take into account existing early childhood workforce qualification pathways and create a simplified process for persons in the workforce to attain credentials and meet qualifications; (b) Ensure the ability to overcome any regulatory and systemic barriers for entry into the early childhood workforce by addressing administrative and policy barriers to entry, including addressing barriers faced by individuals who speak languages other than English; (c) Address strategies for recruiting and providing incentives for diverse, nontraditional workforce members, such as high school students, teachers from other countries, and parents, and reducing barriers that prevent these individuals from joining the early childhood workforce; (d) Promote a coherent and aligned system of preparation and ongoing professional development for individuals in the early childhood workforce; (e) Simplify the requirements an individual must meet to enter the early childhood workforce, clearly articulate the competencies that members of the early childhood workforce are expected to achieve over time, align the system of professional learning and development for early childhood services, and reduce regulatory barriers when possible to promote attainment of these competencies through identified professional development partners, including institutions of higher education; (f) Establish goals for increasing the qualifications of members of the early childhood workforce over time, including strategies for achieving the goal of supporting increased attainment of baccalaureate degrees in early childhood or baccalaureate degrees with supplemental early learning credentials for lead teachers employed by preschool providers; (g) Address strategies for increasing the compensation for individuals in the early childhood workforce with the goal of ensuring that all individuals in the early childhood workforce receive a living wage; and (h) Address other sustainable and evidence-based strategies to recruit, prepare, compensate, provide continuing professional development for, and retain members of the early childhood workforce. (2) The department shall make the plan publicly available on the department's website and shall submit a copy of the plan and any subsequent revisions to the plan to the early childhood leadership commission, to the governor's office, and to the education and the business affairs and labor committees of the house of representatives and the education and the business, labor, and technology committees of the senate, or any successor committees. (3) The department, working with the departments of education, higher education, and labor and employment, shall periodically review and assess the implementation of recruitment, preparation, professional development, and retention initiatives for the early childhood workforce. In reviewing these initiatives, the department shall solicit feedback from, at a minimum, individuals in the early childhood workforce, families, early care and education providers, the early childhood leadership commission, and organizations with expertise pertaining to the early childhood workforce.

C.R.S. § 26.5-6-102 Voluntary child care credentialing system - rules

26.5-6-102. Voluntary child care credentialing system - rules. The department shall develop and maintain a statewide voluntary child care credentialing system that recognizes the training and educational achievements of persons providing early childhood care and education. The use of the voluntary child care credentialing system must include but need not be limited to the early childhood councils established pursuant to part 2 of article 2 of this title 26.5. The voluntary child care credentialing system is a multi-tiered system of graduated credentials that reflects the increased training, education, knowledge, skills, and competencies of persons working in early childhood care and education services in the various councils. The voluntary child care credentialing system must award credit for the education and training of persons working in early childhood care and education concerning the prevention of child sexual abuse. This education and training includes understanding healthy child development, creating safe environments for children, recognizing signs of abuse and problematic behaviors, and responsible methods of response to disclosures or concerns of abuse or potential abuse. The executive director shall promulgate such rules as are necessary for the statewide implementation of the voluntary child care credentialing system.

C.R.S. § 26.5-6-103 Pathways to the classroom and retention strategies for early childhood educators - standards - alignment across agencies - report - rules

26.5-6-103. Pathways to the classroom and retention strategies for early childhood educators - standards - alignment across agencies - report - rules. (1) The executive director shall promulgate rules establishing standards for licensing that allow an early care and education program to be licensed pursuant to part 3 of article 5 of this title 26.5 for a period of time determined by the executive director, if a number, as specified in department rule, of aspiring early childhood educators in the program are pursuing a state-agency-approved early childhood credential and other quality, safety, and supervision conditions are met. (2) The executive director shall promulgate rules that allow an early childhood educator to earn points toward an early childhood credential that meets child care licensing standards based on the candidate's prior experience and demonstrated competency. The licensing pathway must also include ways in which a candidate in a second career or changing careers can earn points or credits for prior experience and competencies that apply toward the qualifications for an early childhood educator credential. The standards and credential awarding process may use validated tools to award points for demonstrated competencies. (3) The department and the department of education shall align, to the extent possible, the state's early childhood professional credential, department of education educator licensing, and child care program licensing to make the requirements as consistent and clear as possible to educators and providers. The alignment process must include examining strategies that support reciprocity for early childhood educator credentials or qualifications earned outside of Colorado. (4) Notwithstanding section 24-1-136 (11)(a)(I), no later than January 31, 2022, and no later than January 31 each year thereafter, the department shall prepare a written report concerning Colorado's current supply of qualified early childhood educators. (5) The department, the department of higher education, and the department of education shall develop resources to support local communities to increase concurrent enrollment opportunities for high school students or other nontraditional students to earn higher education credits and degrees that allow them to serve as early childhood educators and shall support career pathways for high school students earning college credits toward becoming early childhood educators, including concurrent enrollment, career and technical education, the ASCENT program, and other career pathways.

Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/olls/crs2024-title-26.5.docxFetched: 10/6/2026