AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 71, Chapter 3, relative to child care.
HB0992 creates two new child care-related programs within Tennessee’s human services law, both to be developed and implemented by the commissioner of human services no later than January 1, 2026. First, it establishes the “Child Care Workforce Improvement Act,” which directs the department to create a Child Care WAGE$ Tennessee program that provides supplemental payments to child care workers based on time in service. To qualify, a worker must be employed at a licensed child care program, earn $20 per hour or less, have at least six months of service in the same program, work at least 10 classroom hours per week with children birth to age five, and remain employed when funding and final confirmation are completed.
Second, the bill requires a child care payment assistance program for eligible early childhood educators who are Tennessee residents and parents of a child attending a licensed child care facility. The bill defines early childhood educator broadly as an employee working at least 20 hours per week at a licensed child care center, family child care home, or group child care home, regardless of income. For eligibility, the educator must provide proof of employment, and the child must attend a facility that accepts child care assistance payments. The bill also directs the department to exclude all of the educator’s income, earned and unearned, when determining eligibility for these assistance payments.
The bill further limits how licensed child care agencies may treat these educators on wait lists by prohibiting placement of their dependent children behind children whose parents are not receiving these assistance payments, except where federal or state law prohibits it. It preserves first priority for children described in existing law at Tennessee Code Annotated § 71-3-518. The commissioner may use the child care improvement fund to support both programs, must annually adjust payment amounts for inflation using the Consumer Price Index, and must include the eligibility requirements in the next available application for the federal Child Care Development Fund grant.
The bill’s impact would be to expand state child care workforce supports and create a new benefit structure for early childhood educators with children in care, while also affecting child care licensing and subsidy administration under Title 71, Chapter 3. It would likely increase administrative responsibilities for the Department of Human Services and could require ongoing state funding or use of the child care improvement fund to sustain supplemental and assistance payments. It also interacts with federal child care funding by directing the department to seek inclusion of the program’s eligibility criteria in the Child Care Development Fund grant application.
Overall sentiment appears favorable and supportive of child care workers and early educators. The bill’s findings emphasize child care as an essential service, the burden of high costs on families and workers, and the need to reward longevity in the profession. No committee transcript or vote record is provided, so there is no documented opposition in the supplied materials. The main potential points of contention are likely to be program cost, administrative complexity, eligibility limits tied to wages and hours, and the wait-list preference for educators’ children, which could affect access for other families.
HB0992 would amend Tennessee Code Annotated Title 71, Chapter 3 by adding two new sections that create a child care workforce wage supplement program and a child care payment assistance program for early childhood educators. It would authorize the Department of Human Services to issue rules, use the child care improvement fund to support the programs, annually adjust payments for inflation, and coordinate with federal Child Care Development Fund requirements. The bill would affect licensed child care workers, early childhood educators, child care agencies, and families seeking child care assistance.
The bill is framed in strongly supportive terms, with legislative findings emphasizing the importance of child care, the burden of child care costs, and the underpayment of child care workers and early childhood educators. Based on the text alone, the measure appears intended to provide workforce retention incentives and family support, suggesting a generally positive sentiment toward the bill. No votes or committee discussion were provided, so there is no recorded opposition or amendment debate in the supplied materials.
No committee testimony or vote history is available, so specific objections are not documented. Potential areas of contention include whether the state should fund supplemental wage payments and assistance benefits, whether the income cap of $20 per hour is appropriately targeted, and whether excluding all income for educator eligibility is too broad. Another likely issue is the wait-list preference for educators’ dependent children, which could be viewed as beneficial workforce support by proponents but as preferential treatment by critics. Administrative feasibility and the requirement to align the program with federal child care funding may also be debated.