[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2323 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2323

To amend the Head Start Act to permit some teachers in Early Head Start 
     programs to teach while earning a child development associate 
                              credential.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 17, 2025

  Mr. Warnock (for himself and Mrs. Capito) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Head Start Act to permit some teachers in Early Head Start 
     programs to teach while earning a child development associate 
                              credential.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Head start Education And Development 
Workforce Advancement and Yield Act'' or the ``HEADWAY Act''.

SEC. 2. TEACHERS IN EARLY HEAD START PROGRAMS.

    Section 645A(h) of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9840a(h)) is 
amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)--
                    (A) by striking ``, not later than September 30, 
                2010, all teachers'' and inserting ``at least one 
                teacher per classroom who is'';
                    (B) by striking ``Early Head Start programs located 
                in Early Head Start centers, have a minimum'' and 
                inserting ``an Early Head Start program located in an 
                Early Head Start center, has a minimum'';
                    (C) by striking ``have been trained (or have'' and 
                inserting ``has been trained (or has''; and
                    (D) by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph (3);
            (3) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following:
            ``(2) ensure that--
                    ``(A) each additional teacher providing direct 
                services to children and families described in 
                paragraph (1) is working towards earning a credential 
                that is, at a minimum, a child development associate 
                credential and towards completing training (or 
                equivalent coursework in early childhood development); 
                and
                    ``(B) during the period in which such a teacher is 
                working towards earning that credential and completing 
                that training or coursework, the Early Head Start 
                agency employing the teacher shall provide a mentor to 
                oversee the progress and guide the work of the teacher 
                towards earning that credential and completing that 
                training or coursework; and''; and
            (4) in paragraph (3), as so redesignated--
                    (A) by striking ``not later than September 30, 
                2012, all such teachers'' and inserting ``at least one 
                teacher per classroom providing direct services to 
                children and families described in paragraph (1) has'';
                    (B) by striking ``(or have'' and inserting ``(or 
                has''; and
                    (C) by striking the period at the end and inserting 
                ``, and that each additional teacher providing direct 
                services to such children and families is working 
                towards completing that training or coursework.''.
                                 <all>