CNN

Dodd plans to walk "in the shoes" of an American teach Thursday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd plans to spend a day "walking in the shoes" of an American teacher in Iowa on Thursday, participating in a major union's effort to teach politicians about the lives of ordinary workers.

“I am honored to take part in SEIU’s Walk A Day In My Shoes program," Dodd said in a statement. "I believe that this is a great opportunity to get a first hand look at what a Head Start teacher goes through every day. I have a long history of fighting for middle class families to fully fund Head Start, and I look forward to experiencing what our educators go through by participating in this critically important program.”

Dodd will spend the day with Head Start teacher Colleen Mehaffey in her Cedar Rapids home and classroom. He will share his experience with the media in a press conference afterward.

Other Democratic hopefuls have already taken their turns in SEIU's "Walk in a Day in My Shoes" program, which invites the candidates to "spend time in our lives, accompanying us on the job and spending time at home with our families," according to the web site. So far, Sen. John Edwards spent a day with a nursing home worker in New York and Gov. Bill Richardson worked alongside a family services worker in Las Vegas, NV.

Sen. Joe Biden, Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama have agreed to participate by the end of the summer, along with GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee.

– CNN Associate Producer Lauren Kornreich