The Healthy Early Development and Screen Time Act aims to establish comprehensive guidelines for screen time usage in early childhood education settings in Alabama. The bill mandates the Department of Early Childhood Education, in collaboration with the State Department of Human Resources and the State Department of Education, to create research-based guidelines for healthy screen time practices for children aged birth to five. It emphasizes the importance of play, reading, physical activity, and caregiver-child interaction while addressing the risks of excessive screen time, such as developmental delays. The bill introduces a new Article 4 to Chapter 24 of Title 26 in the Code of Alabama, which includes definitions related to early childhood education and screen time, and requires local boards of education to adopt a screen time policy for kindergarten classrooms by the 2027-2028 school year.

Additionally, the bill adds Section 38-7-7.1 to the Code of Alabama 1975, mandating day care centers, day care homes, group day care homes, and night care facilities to implement screen time policies that align with the new standards. The Department of Early Childhood Education will incorporate these policies into licensing standards and monitor compliance through inspections. The bill also outlines procedures for addressing noncompliance, including prioritizing additional training for noncompliant staff and the potential for corrective action plans. Furthermore, it stipulates that if a kindergarten teacher is found noncompliant, the local school principal must provide additional training before any disciplinary actions can be taken. The act is set to take effect on January 1, 2027.