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*hb0748*
HOUSE BILL 748
F1 6lr2648
By: Delegate Mireku–North Delegates Mireku–North and Palakovich Carr
Introduced and read first time: February 4, 2026
Assigned to: Ways and Means
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
House action: Adopted
Read second time: February 26, 2026
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Publicly Funded Prekindergarten – Early Childhood Educator Career Ladder 2
for Private Providers – Repeal of Deadlines New Pathways 3
FOR the purpose of repealing the requirements that certain experiential and educational 4
qualifications in adding new pathways to the early childhood educator career ladder 5
for eligible private prekindergarten providers must be met on or before certain dates 6
that allow educators to meet certain experiential and educational qualifications 7
within certain periods of time; and generally relating to the requirements for eligible 8
private providers in publicly funded prekindergarten. 9
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 10
Article – Education 11
Section 7–1A–08 12
Annotated Code of Maryland 13
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 14
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 15
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 16
Article – Education 17
7–1A–08. 18
(a) (1) On or before July 1, 2025, the Department shall establish an early 19
childhood educator career ladder for eligible private providers. 20
2 HOUSE BILL 748
(2) The early childhood educator career ladder is for teachers and assistant 1
teachers employed by eligible private providers. 2
(3) The purpose of the early childhood educator career ladder is to: 3
(i) Transform early childhood education teaching into a high–status 4
profession in the State; 5
(ii) Attract high –performing students to pursue the high –status 6
early childhood education teaching profession; and 7
(iii) Retain high–quality early childhood education teachers who gain 8
additional responsibility, authority, status, and compensation as they gain additional 9
expertise. 10
(b) The early childhood educator career ladder shall: 11
(1) Adequately compensate early childhood educators for their work; 12
(2) Provide early childhood educators with the opportunity to identify and 13
work with prekindergarten teachers and teaching assistants; 14
(3) Provide early childhood educators the opportunity to develop their 15
skills and knowledge by participating in job–embedded professional development; and 16
(4) Compensate early childhood educators at greater rates as they advance 17
to the next level of the career ladder. 18
(c) (1) The levels of the career ladder are as follows: 19
(i) Level one is an early childhood teaching assistant; 20
(ii) Level two is a prekindergarten lead teacher; and 21
(iii) Level three is an early childhood consulting teacher. 22
(2) In order to qualify as an early childhood teaching assistant, an educator 23
shall: 24
(i) 1. Hold a high school diploma; and 25
2. [On or before July 1, 2027 ] WITHIN 3 YEARS AFTER 26
BEING HIRED AS AN EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHING ASSISTANT: 27
A. Earn and maintain a Child Development Associate (CDA) 28
with a preschool designation; or 29
HOUSE BILL 748 3
B. Hold an associate degree in early chil dhood education or 1
child development; or 2
(ii) [On July 1, 2024, have] HAVE documented experience of actively 3
providing services in early childhood education for a minimum of 15 years for at least: 4
1. 20 hours per week; and 5
2. 180 days per year; OR 6
(III) 1. HOLD A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA; AND 7
2. WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER BEING HIRED AS AN EARLY 8
CHILDHOOD TEACHING ASSISTANT: 9
A. EARN AND MAINTAIN A CHILD DEVELOPMENT 10
ASSOCIATE (CDA) WITH A PRESCHOOL DESIGNATION; OR 11
B. HOLD AN ASSOCIATE DEGREE IN EARLY CHIL DHOOD 12
EDUCATION OR CHILD DEVELOPMENT. 13
(3) (i) Subject to subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph, in order to qualify 14
as a prekindergarten lead teacher, an educator shall: 15
1. Hold at least a bachelor’s degree in early childhood 16
education, child development, or a related field from an institution of higher education 17
accredited by an institutional accrediting association recognized by the U.S. Department of 18
Education; 19
2. A. Hold at least a bachelor’s degree in early childhood 20
education, child development, or a related field from an institution of higher education in 21
another country; and 22
B. Have the degree under item A of this item verified as 23
comparable to a bachelor’s degree granted by an accredited institution of higher education 24
in the United States by an independent agency authorized to analyze foreign credentials 25
selected by the Department; 26
3. Hold a bachelor’s degree in a field unrelated to early 27
childhood education from an institution of higher education accredited by an institutional 28
accrediting association approved by the U.S. Department of Education; or 29
4. Subject to subparagraph (iii) of this paragraph, [on July 1, 30
2024,] have documented experience of actively providing services in early childhood 31
education for a minimum of 10 years for at least: 32
4 HOUSE BILL 748
A. 20 hours per week; and 1
B. 180 days per year. 2
(ii) In order to qualify as a prekindergarten lead teacher through any 3
pathway other than the pathway described under subparagraph (i)1 of this paragraph, an 4
educator must achieve a minimum score on the Classroom Assessment Scoring System 5
(CLASS) assessment as set by the Department in addition to the requirements listed under 6
subparagraph (i) of this paragraph. 7
(iii) 1. [On or before July 1, 2030 ] WITHIN 6 YEARS AFTER 8
QUALIFYING AS A LEAD TEACHER, a A prekindergarten lead teacher who qualifies 9
through the pathway described under subparagraph (i)4 of this paragraph shall earn an 10
associate degree in early childhood education: 11
A. ON OR BEFORE JULY 1, 2030, IF THE TEACHER 12
QUALIFIED THROUGH THE PATHWAY ON OR BEFORE JULY 1, 2024; OR 13
B. WITHIN 6 MONTHS AFTER QUALIFY ING AS A LEAD 14
TEACHER, IF THE TEACHER QUALI FIED THROUGH THE PAT HWAY AFTER JULY 1, 15
2024. 16
2. Teachers from level three of the career ladder shall mentor 17
and provide professional support to a prekindergarten lead teacher described under this 18
subparagraph to ensure that the teacher earns a degree within the required amount of 19
time. 20
(iv) In order to maintain status as a prekindergarten lead teacher, 21
each year a lead teacher shall complete at least 20 working hours of professional learning 22
and development in: 23
1. Early childhood instruction; 24
2. Developmentally appropriate practice; and 25
3. Any other profession al skill areas the Department 26
determines are valuable. 27
(4) In order to qualify as an early childhood consulting teacher, an educator 28
shall: 29
(i) Be a prekindergarten lead teacher in good standing; 30
(ii) Beginning in the 2027 –2028 school year, hold early childhood 31
education certification or be pursuing certification; 32
HOUSE BILL 748 5
(iii) Be able to lead other early childhood educators in an effective 1
and disciplined way to improve the curriculum and instruction of prekindergarten 2
students; 3
(iv) Demonstrate the skills and knowledge to mentor early childhood 4
assistant teachers and new prekindergarten lead teachers, including by helping them to 5
meet the educational and certification qualifications necessary to qualify for and maintain 6
status on the career ladder; and 7
(v) Supervise and support prekindergarten lead teachers, if 8
practicable through prekindergarten provider hubs, in one or more sites in order to improve 9
developmentally appropriate instructional practices for prekindergarten students. 10
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 11
1, 2026. 12
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.