Bill > HB541

This bill amends the Early Childhood Care and Education Act to create incentives for early childhood care and education providers to improve employee benefits. Specifically, it directs the department to establish rules that would increase monthly reimbursement rates from the Early Childhood Care and Education Fund by fifty percent for providers who, by the start of the school year, meet at least four out of five specific conditions. These conditions include offering employees at least five paid sick days, three days of paid family or medical leave, health insurance where employee contributions do not exceed five percent of household income, participation in or operation of a substitute teacher program, and paying employees a minimum wage of fifteen dollars per hour. The Early Childhood Care and Education Fund is a nonreverting fund managed by the department, used for awarding grants to early childhood care and education providers.