Recent iir_sce items

The Early Care and Education Workforce of Stanislaus County

Thu, 12 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The Early Care and Education Workforce of Stanislaus County

Josephine S. Yates: Pedagogical Giant and Organizational Leader in Early Education and Beyond

Thu, 9 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Josephine Silone Yates (1859-1912) was an educator, writer, and Black women’s club leader, whose career and community work was grounded in a commitment to “racial uplift,” emphasizing the improvement of newly freed Black communities post-emancipation. One of the first Black women professors in the United States, Yates taught at Lincoln Institute, now Lincoln University, in Jefferson City, Missouri (Dublin, 2020). Yates was integral to the establishment of the National Association of Colored Women (NACW) in 1896 (Dublin, 2020), and as the organization’s second president (1901-1904), she put her knowledge to work by establishing the NACW’s infrastructure to expand early care and education opportunities for Black children across the country (Robbins, 2011).

Early learning and child development theory shaped Yates’s pedagogical philosophy and grounded her advocacy for day nurseries and kindergartens, which remains a less-recognized aspect of her life’s...

Early Care and Education Programs During COVID-19: Persistent Inequities and Emerging Challenges

Thu, 9 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

This report takes a closer look at the impact of COVID-19 on early care and education (ECE) programs, staffing and disparities using data collected by the Center by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) through the 2020 California Early Care and Education Workforce Study.

The ECE system has been under-resourced and undervalued since well before the pandemic (McLean et al., 2021). Low pay and poor working environment have long plagued the ECE industry as key drivers of chronic high turnover rates and teacher staffing shortages in the field (U.S. Department of Treasury, 2021). Additional disparities within the system place providers on vastly different financial footing as a function...

Education and Experience of the California ECE Workforce

Thu, 9 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

This data snapshot focuses on the education and experience of family child care providers, center directors, and center-based teaching staff in California.

From October through December 2020, we surveyed representative samples of approximately 2,000 center administrators and 3,000 home-based family child care (FCC) providers, as well as non-probability samples of about 2,500 center-based teaching staff members and 280 transitional kindergarten (TK) teachers. Estimated workforce sizes for each of the populations are 24,700 FCC providers, 9,500 center directors, 60,800 center-based teachers, and 23,000 center-based assistant teachers (data snapshot on workforce size).

Double or Nothing? Potential TK Wages for California’s Early Educators

Thu, 9 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

California has proposed a broad expansion of transitional kindergarten (TK), a school-based early learning program serving four-year-olds. This improvement will make TK universally available to all four-year-olds by 2025, framed as a pillar of the state’s early care and education (ECE) system.

Demographics of the California ECE Workforce

Thu, 9 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

This data snapshot features demographics for center directors, family child care providers, and center teachers in California. It is one of a series of releases from CSCCE’s 2020 California Early Care & Education (ECE) Workforce Study, the first comprehensive study of early educators in the state in more than 15 years.

New Data Shows Early Educators Equipped to Teach TK

Thu, 9 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

California is moving quickly to transform transitional kindergarten (TK) into a universal preschool program to be available to all four-year-olds in the state by 2025 (California Legislative Information, 2021b).

This will create the need for as many as 8,000 to 11,000 additional lead TK teachers.¹ In child care centers and family child care homes across the state, a diverse cadre of early educators are experienced in teaching young children and well prepared to meet this demand. Yet this expansion of TK — currently planned to operate exclusively in public school settings — risks bypassing these trained professionals. Without careful attention to how TK is implemented, this model stands to bring greater instability to the early care and education (ECE) system and fuel existing racial pay gaps among the ECE workforce, ultimately undermining the state’s vision for an equitable system for children, families, and educators.

This snapshot highlights original...

“The Forgotten Ones”—The Economic Well-Being of Early Educators During COVID-19

Thu, 9 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

For decades, low levels of public investment in this sector have kept the ECE workforce—largely women of color and immigrant women—in a grim financial bind.

During the first year of the pandemic, the majority of early educators continued to work in person—risking their health and that of their families—while K-12 schools closed for distance learning. This report reveals new details on the economic realities of life as an early educator during the COVID-19 public health crisis.

New Data Shows Early Educators Equipped to Teach TK

Thu, 9 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

New Data Shows Early Educators Equipped to Teach TK

The American Rescue Plan: Recommendations for Addressing Early Educator Compensation and Supports

Thu, 9 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) represents unprecedented federal investment in early care and education, with new and broader allowances for workforce compensation (H.R. 1319, 2021).

The early care and education (ECE) workforce deserve economic dignity, including the resources to care for their own families and children (Sperling, 2019). Yet, wages remain low and poverty rates high among this essential workforce as workers in nearly all other occupations are paid more (McLean, et al., 2021). There is an urgent need to utilize ARPA funding to get much-needed relief in the form of direct cash assistance to ECE workers in recognition of their historic underpayment,...

At the Wage Floor: Covering Homecare and Early Care and Education Workers in the New Generation of Minimum Wage Laws, 2018

Sat, 14 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000

The dynamics of minimum wage increases vary across industries based on each industry’s specific structure. Nowhere are the distinct dynamics more pronounced and challenging than for those employed in human services industries. This paper focuses on an important subset of these workers: those who provide homecare and early care and education services to the very young, people with disabilities, and those who are frail due to age or illness. We explain the pressing need to raise these workers’ wages and the unique structure of their industries that results in a funding squeeze for wage increases—at the root of this is the fact that most families are unable to afford all of the homecare and child care they need, never mind pay enough to ensure that workers earn a living wage, and public human services are chronically underfunded.

These workers provide a critical (but too often unrecognized) public good; as such, we argue that a significant public investment is a necessary...

Strategies in Pursuit of Pre-K Teacher Compensation Parity: Lessons From Seven States and Cities, 2017

Sat, 14 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000

This report is the third resource in a three-part series on pre-K teacher compensation parity, jointly undertaken by CSCCE and NIEER. The report examines parity policies in 5 states (Alabama, Georgia, New Jersey, Oregon, and West Virginia) and 2 cities (New York City and San Antonio) in order to understand the policy rationale and process for moving toward compensation parity for pre-K teachers in different contexts.

Teacher Compensation Parity Policies and State-Funded Pre-K Programs, 2017

Sat, 14 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000

This report is the second resource in a three-part series on pre-K teacher compensation parity, jointly undertaken by CSCCE and NIEER. The report provides a detailed description of the current landscape of state pre-K teacher compensation parity policies.

The Model Work Standards

Wed, 4 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000

When the Model Work Standards were first crafted more than two decades ago, they were built on the premise of Good Child Care Jobs = Good Care for Children.Today, we revise these standards to reflect a 21st-century context in which “quality improvement” efforts have consistently missed the mark when it comes to addressing the needs of the adults providing early care and education. We have yet to fully embrace the fact that the needs of the children and the needs of the adults are interconnected. As documented in the Early Childhood Workforce Index 2018 (Whitebook, McLean, Austin, & Edwards, 2018), little has changed to improve wages and working conditions for early childhood educators since the 1990s.

It is with renewed focus and commitment that the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) has updated the Model Work Standards, in collaboration with some of the original authors and with the permission of the Center for the Child Care Workforce, now a project...

Maryland Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory

Wed, 4 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000

This report describes the early childhood degree programs offered in Maryland, focusing on variations in program content, age-group focus, student field-based learning, and faculty characteristics, as well as the extent to which Maryland ECE higher education programs are incorporating early math, family engagement, and working with dual language learners.

This report is part of our Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory.

The Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory, administered by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at the University of California at Berkeley, assists policymakers and other stakeholders to develop a more coordinated and comprehensive professional preparation and development system for the early care and education workforce. The Inventory is a mechanism to describe the landscape of a state’s early childhood degree program offerings, at the associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. The...

In Pursuit of Pre-K Parity: A Proposed Framework for Understanding and Advancing Policy and Practice

Wed, 4 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000

This report was produced in collaboration with the National Institute for Early Education Research.
This brief is the first resource in a three-part series on pre-K teacher compensation parity, jointly undertaken by CSCCE and NIEER. The brief develops a framework for understanding pre-K teacher compensation parity in contrast to other forms of compensation improvement for pre-K teachers and provides a summary of the current landscape of state policies, detailed further in the companion piece Teacher Compensation Parity Policies and State-Funded Pre-K Programs.

The Consequences of Invisibility: COVID-19 and the Human Toll on California Early Educators

Wed, 26 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

As California policymakers start to chart a path forward beyond COVID-19, it is important to first understand and reckon with the pandemic’s impact on child care programs and individual educators. This research paper presents findings from a survey of 953 California ECE programs and providers in June-July 2020. The results provide an in-depth view of the past year’s devastation and highlight the unseen costs of operating a child care program throughout the pandemic with little-to-no support. Survey responses paint a grim picture of early educators fearing for their own health and the health of their families, of providers taking on personal credit card debt to cover program expenses, and a constant scramble to both find and afford essential cleaning supplies in order to meet new health and safety regulations. The key findings from this study should inform the strategic, equitable, and urgent allocation of American Rescue Plan Act stabilization funds in California over...

The CARES Initiative in California: Pursuing Public Policy To Build a Skilled and Stable Child Care Workforce, 1997-2000

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
This report details California CARES (Compensation and Retention Encourage Stability), an initiative aimed at building a skilled and stable workforce to provide high-quality child care and development services throughout California. The report is presented in three parts. Part 1 describes the statewide effort to provide professional development rewards for existing and future education and training. This section describes the origins of the initiative in new federal funding sources to states, child care advocacy efforts, statewide demand for K-3 teachers, and the existence of an extensive early childhood training network. Legislative efforts are also described. Part 2 of the document presents information on how California counties have developed CARE-style plans of their own. Discussion focuses on Proposition 10, the San Francisco CARE program, the Alameda County Child Development Corps, and the movement from advocacy to implementation. The following program features are described:...

Partnering for Preschool: A Study of Center Directors in New Jersey’s Mixed-Delivery Abbott Program

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
Since 1999, New Jersey’s court-ordered Abbott Preschool Program has provided publicly funded early education services in a combination of private child care centers, Head Start centers, and public schools, and it has sought to place preschool teachers on an equal footing with K-12 teachers in terms of pay and qualifications. We interviewed 98 private child care and Head Start directors in 2007 to collect their firsthand accounts of implementing this ambitious educational reform, and their suggestions for improving it.

Clearing a Career Path: Lessons from Two Communities in Promoting Higher Education Access for the Early Care and Education Workforce

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
This report documents recent groundbreaking efforts in Alameda and Santa Clara Counties, CA, including challenges faced and lessons learned, as a guide for other counties and institutions seeking to improve professional development in the early care and education field.

From Aspiration to Attainment: Practices That Support Early Childhood Degree Attainment, Los Angeles Universal Preschool’s Child Development Workforce Initiative

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
This study sought to understand what distinguishes students who are successful at earning early childhood degrees or transferring to four-year institutions from those who are stalled in their progress or who dis-enroll from school. The study explored student success from two perspectives: those of college staff who support students toward early childhood degree attainment and transfer-ready status, and those of the students themselves, representing different categories of student progress.

Teachers’ Voices: Work Environment Conditions That Impact Teacher Practice and Program Quality – Marin County

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

This SEQUAL report examines work environment conditions that impact teacher practice and well-being across center based programs in Marin County, California across the five SEQUAL domains: Teaching Supports, Learning Community, Job Crafting, and Adult Well-Being. Findings reveal both workplace supports and challenges that influence early child care educator practice, well-being and effectiveness in the classroom. Marin County is one of the wealthiest counties in the nation and early educators often struggle financially due to low compensation, making it even more important to require supportive working conditions and policies to support their practice and well-being. The findings also demonstrate the value of program policies that ensure dependable workplace supports and policies such as provisions for paid planning and reporting time.
This report is part of our Teachers’ Voices (SEQUAL) series. To facilitate bringing teachers’ voices into quality improvement...

California Early Care and Education Workforce Study: Licensed Child Care Centers, Los Angeles County 2006

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
This report is intended to identify the characteristics of Los Angeles County’s current center-based early care and education workforce, both in light of proposed new requirements, and to help assess the size of the task of training the next generation of workers to care for young children.

California Early Care and Education Workforce Study: Licensed Family Child Care Providers, Alameda Country 2006

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

In partnership, the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) at the University of California at Berkeley and the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network (Network) have gathered this information to help Alameda County policymakers and planners assess current demand at teacher training institutions; plan for further investments in early childhood teacher preparation; and gain a baseline for measuring progress toward attaining a well-educated ECE workforce whose ethnic and linguistic diversity reflects that of Alameda County’s children and families.
This report contains study findings for licensed family child care providers in Alameda County.

California Early Care and Education Workforce Study: Licensed Family Child Care Providers, Mono Country 2006

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

In partnership, the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) at the University of California at Berkeley and the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network (Network) have gathered this information to help Mono County policymakers and planners assess current demand at teacher training institutions; plan for further investments in early childhood teacher preparation; and gain a baseline for measuring progress toward attaining a well-educated ECE workforce whose ethnic and linguistic diversity reflects that of Mono County’s children and families.
This report contains study findings for licensed family child care providers in Mono County.

Financing Early Educator Teacher Quality: A Closer Look at Assumptions That Drive Variations in Estimating the Cost of Services

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

In this report, Lea Austin, Marcy Whitebook, and Harriet Dichter demonstrate how assumptions about what teachers need produce per child costs that vary by thousands of dollars.
Recognizing that estimates are important points of information – as they are often used to inform short- and long-term term decisions about early care and education services – the authors examined a set of cost models with regard to assumptions about resources for teachers and their working environments. These assumptions drive the per child and total systems estimates produced for budgetary purposes and ultimately frame the daily realities of early educators.

California Early Care and Education Workforce Study: Licensed Child Care Centers, Sacramento County 2006

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
This report is intended to identify the characteristics of Sacramento County’s current center-based early care and education workforce, both in light of proposed new requirements, and to help assess the size of the task of training the next generation of workers to care for young children.

New Jersey Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

This report describes describes the landscape of New Jersey’s early childhood degree programs, focusing on variations in program content, child age-group focus, student field-based learning, and faculty characteristics.
This report is part of our Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory. The Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory, administered by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at the University of California at Berkeley, assists policymakers and other stakeholders to develop a more coordinated and comprehensive professional preparation and development system for the early care and education workforce. The Inventory is a mechanism to describe the landscape of a state’s early childhood degree program offerings, at the associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. The Inventory captures variations in program goals, content, child age-group focus, student field-based learning, and faculty characteristics and professional development...

The Consequences of Invisibility: COVID-19 and the Human Toll on California Early Educators

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

As California policymakers start to chart a path forward beyond COVID-19, it is important to first understand and reckon with the pandemic’s impact on child care programs and individual educators. This research paper presents findings from a survey of 953 California ECE programs and providers in June-July 2020. The results provide an in-depth view of the past year’s devastation and highlight the unseen costs of operating a child care program throughout the pandemic with little-to-no support. Survey responses paint a grim picture of early educators fearing for their own health and the health of their families, of providers taking on personal credit card debt to cover program expenses, and a constant scramble to both find and afford essential cleaning supplies in order to meet new health and safety regulations. The key findings from this study should inform the strategic, equitable, and urgent allocation of American Rescue Plan Act stabilization funds in California over...

California Early Care and Education Workforce Study: Licensed Child Care Centers, Alameda County 2006

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
This report is intended to identify the characteristics of Alameda County’s current center-based early care and education workforce, both in light of proposed new requirements, and to help assess the size of the task of training the next generation of workers to care for young children.

Learning Together: A Study of Six B.A. Completion Cohort Programs in ECE (Year 1 Report)

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

The Year 1 interviews of the Learning Together study reveal that two to three years post degree, nearly 95 percent of graduates remain in the early care and education (ECE) field, and that graduates overwhelmingly report personal, professional and educational benefits as a result of their B.A. degree cohort program. Specifically, graduates report that structural aspects of their B.A. program, such as financial aid and flexible class schedules, were important to their educational success, that the cohort experience continues to provide them with professional support, and that as a result of their degree attainment they now earn more, have advanced in their careers, and continue to explore educational opportunities. Graduates also identified several important areas for programmatic improvement, such as expanding coursework to include ECE public policy and classes on working with adults. They also discuss workplace characteristics that support or impede their abilities to engage...

Teacher Credentialing in Early Care and Education: Prospects for Universal Preschool in California, and Lessons from Other States

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
This report examines the impact on the early care and education workforce engendered by California’s movement towards universal preschool in 2004. At this critical time the attention of policy makers and program planners turned increasingly toward how to ensure a well-trained, stable, and linguistically and culturally diverse teaching workforce to staff high quality preschool programs. This report discusses the appropriate education and training standards for preschool teachers, the capacity of higher education institutions in the state to meet the growing demand for B.A. trained early childhood educators, and reports on the experiences of other states.

California Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
This report, released in 2015, looks at how higher education programs have evolved over the last decade, examines how institutions of higher education are adapting to emerging research and changes in the California policy environment, and offers recommendations to address the field’s current limitations.

California Early Care and Education Workforce Study: Licensed Child Care Centers, Marin County 2006

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
This report is intended to identify the characteristics of Marin County’s current center-based early care and education workforce, both in light of proposed new requirements, and to help assess the size of the task of training the next generation of workers to care for young children.

Teachers’ Voices: Work Environment Conditions That Impact Teacher Practice and Program Quality – New York

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

This report examines teaching staff assessments of their work environments in New York state across the five SEQUAL domains: Teaching Supports, Learning Community, Job Crafting, Adult Well-Being, and Program Leadership with a focus on how their program environment contributes to or hinders their ability to apply their knowledge and skills and improve their practice. In addition to teaching staff perceptions of their work environments, assessments of how responses varied by teacher and site characteristics are documented. Findings reveal that common workplace challenges pose barriers to early child care educator well-being and classroom effectiveness. Findings also demonstrate the value of program policies that ensure dependable workplace supports and policies such as provisions for paid planning and reporting time.
This report is part of our Teachers’ Voices (SEQUAL) series. To facilitate bringing teachers’ voices into quality improvement strategies, the Center for the...

Change and Stability Among Publicly Subsidized License-Exempt Child Care Providers

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
This study examines the continuity of license-exempt home-based providers offering subsidized child care in Alameda County, California over the course of a year. Using lists of providers maintained by agencies distributing subsidies, the study identifies variations in continuity based on neighborhood income level, location of care, and whether the provider was related to the child.

California Early Care and Education Workforce Study: Licensed Family Child Care Providers, Statewide 2006

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

In partnership, the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) at the University of California at Berkeley, and the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network (Network), have gathered this information to help statewide policymakers and planners assess current demand at teacher training institutions; plan for further investments in early childhood teacher preparation; and gain a baseline for measuring progress toward attaining a well-educated ECE workforce whose ethnic and linguistic diversity reflects that of statewide children and families.
This report contains study findings for licensed family child care providers statewide.

Inside the Pre-K Classroom: A Study of Staffing and Stability in State-Funded Pre-K Programs

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
This study documents the current state of staff qualifications, stability, turnover and compensation in state-funded prekindergarten programs. It also identifies conditions under which Pre-K initiatives promote a more skilled and stable, and better compensated, early care and education workforce.

Educator Expectations, Qualifications, and Earnings: Shared Challenges and Divergent Systems in ECE and K-12

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

This brief, Educator Expectations, Qualifications, and Earnings: Shared Challenges and Divergent Systems in ECE and K-12 focuses in depth on two specific aspects of personnel systems – educator qualification requirements and earnings – and includes new assessments based on updated data.
Accompanying the brief is a chart, Comparison of Personnel Systems for K-12 and Early Childhood Teachers: Qualifications and Compensation, which provides an overview of the characteristics of teachers in K-12 and ECE.
This brief builds on a previous report, Building a Skilled Teacher Workforce: Shared and Divergent Challenges in Early Care and Education and in Grades K-12, which was released in 2014.

Child Care Workers and the Aftermath of September 11th

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
This study provides a rare glimpse into the impact of a disaster on early childhood teachers, directors, and providers, and the children in their care. The findings indicate a pressing need to enhance the access of child care teachers and providers to mental health professionals who are trained to provide assistance in the aftermath of disasters.

Washington Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

This report describes the early childhood degree programs offered in Washington, focusing on variations in program content, age-group focus, student field-based learning, and faculty characteristics, as well as the extent to which Washington ECE higher education programs are incorporating early math, family engagement, and working with dual language learners.
This report is part of our Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory. The Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory, administered by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at the University of California at Berkeley, assists policymakers and other stakeholders to develop a more coordinated and comprehensive professional preparation and development system for the early care and education workforce. The Inventory is a mechanism to describe the landscape of a state’s early childhood degree program offerings, at the associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. The Inventory captures variations...

Worthy Work, Unlivable Wages: The National Child Care Staffing Study, 1988-1997

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
In 1997, nine years after the original National Child Care Staffing Study, the Center for the Childcare Workforce interviewed directors at the centers still in operation to assess changes in wages, benefits and turnover; whether increases in public investment for child care have benefited the child care workforce; and the extent to which former welfare recipients are employed in center-based child care.

The Early Childhood Workforce Index 2018

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

The Index provides a current appraisal of workforce conditions and policies across states. It is divided into four topical chapters:
1. About the Workforce provides a national snapshot of characteristics of the early educator workforce across settings and discusses state-level variation.
2. Earnings and Economic Security provides national and state data on ECE workforce pay in relation to other occupations and presents new analyses of pay.
3. Early Childhood Workforce Policies assesses state policies in five areas: qualifications and educational supports; work environments; compensation and financial relief strategies; workforce data; and financial resources.
4. Family and Income Support Policies assesses state policies across occupations in two areas: income supports and health and well-being.
These indicators represent opportunities for state policies that have the potential to enhance the lives of the many children and adults...

Chutes or Ladders? Creating Support Services to Help EC Students Succeed in Higher Education

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
This report looks at the challenges facing the growing number of “non-traditional students,” particularly in the early care and education field. It notes the wide range of supports often needed by these students and spotlights a number of promising efforts to address the many barriers to attainment of BA degrees. The report contains recommendations for institutions of higher education and communities wishing to provide targeted support for early care and education students to improve their success in school and beyond.

Evaluating The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS): Assessing Differences Between the First and Revised Edition

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
Before 1998, most large-scale studies of center-based child care programs measured quality using the 1980 version of the ECERS. This study looked at the question of whether data from studies conducted after 1998, using the revised ECERS-R, can be fairly compared to data from studies using the 1980 ECERS. The results suggest that the original ECERS and ECERS-R can be viewed, as their authors intended, as comparable measures of quality. The report notes that both measures do not account for important quality issues such as addressing staff stability and culturally sensitive practice, such as communicating with families in their home language.

Roots of Decline: How Government Policy Has De-Educated Teachers of Young Children

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
This report analyzes labor trends for the early care and education workforce over the past 25 years – notably, an overall decrease in educational qualifications, and persistent wage stagnation – in the light of federal and state policy, and makes a series of recommendations for reversing these downward trends. Losing Ground in Early Childhood Education: Declining Workforce Qualifications in an Expanding Industry, 1979-2004 by Stephen Herzenberg, Mark Price, and David Bradley (2005) is the paper that prompted this policy analysis.

Teachers’ Voices: Work Environment Conditions That Impact Teacher Practice and Program Quality

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

We are pleased to share our most recent SEQUAL study, Teachers’ Voices: Work Environment Conditions That Impact Teacher Practice and Program Quality, completed in partnership with First 5 Alameda County in Alameda, California.
The features of early childhood workplace environments – what teachers need in addition to training and education in order to help children succeed – are routinely overlooked in quality improvement efforts. Educators’ ability to apply their knowledge and skills and to continue to hone their practice requires a work environment that supports their ongoing learning, prioritizes time without child responsibilities for professional activities, and offers dependable benefits that ensure their well-being. To facilitate bringing teachers’ voices into quality improvement strategies, the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment...

California Early Care and Education Workforce Study: Licensed Child Care Centers, Statewide 2006

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
This report is intended to identify the characteristics of Statewide current center-based early care and education workforce, both in light of proposed new requirements, and to help assess the size of the task of training the next generation of workers to care for young children.

A Critical Calculation: Supporting the Inclusion of Math in Early Childhood Degree Programs

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
A Critical Calculation: Supporting the Inclusion of Math in Early Childhood Degree Programs calls attention to key findings related to preparing early educators to support mathematical development in young children. The brief draws upon studies of early childhood higher education degree programs conducted across eight states between 2012 and 2017. The studies explored how institutions of higher education and their degree programs were situated to educate and support early childhood teachers in this content area.

Then and Now: Changes in Child Care Staffing, 1994-2000

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
This report is a longitudinal study of center-based quality and staffing in three Northern California communities. It is a landmark study of staffing and stability in child care centers which provides a uniquely detailed look at teacher and director retention and turnover. The publication updates CCW’s 1997 study of NAEYC Accreditation as a Strategy for Improving Child Care Quality, offering new information on the ability of accredited centers to maintain quality gains over several years.

Early Childhood Higher Education: Taking Stock Across the States

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

This brief is based on findings from the Early Childhood Education (ECE) Higher Education Inventory conducted in several states: California, Indiana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island. This brief highlights the extent to which ECE teacher preparation is currently integrated across the birth-to-age-eight continuum, and on variations in field-based practice opportunities for teachers of young children.
The Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory, administered by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at the University of California at Berkeley, assists policymakers and other stakeholders to develop a more coordinated and comprehensive professional preparation and development system for the early care and education workforce. The Inventory is a mechanism to describe the landscape of a state’s early childhood degree program offerings, at the associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. The Inventory captures variations...

California’s ECE Workforce: What We Know Now and the Data Deficit That Remains

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

In 2006, to provide an in-depth portrait of the center-based and licensed family child care workforce across the state and regionally, the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) and the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network conducted the California Early Care and Education Workforce Study. This study built on California’s long history of leadership in early childhood workforce research, which reaches back to the late 1970s. Yet, 12 years after this study, California lags behind a majority of other states when it comes to the status of its workforce data.
The absence of an updated statewide survey or a statewide workforce registry creates numerous challenges to the implementation of evidence-based decision making. Too often, determinations about the workforce are made with scant information, which can lead to deciding that a policy does not work and moving on to developing new initiatives without sufficient or accurate information to assess...

Preparing Teachers of Young Children: The Current State of Knowledge, and a Blueprint for the Future

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

This two-part paper examines the early care and education (ECE) and K-12 research literature in depth to assess the current state of knowledge about the effective preparation of excellent teachers, and charts a research and policy agenda for the future.
Part I: Teacher Preparation and Professional Development in Grades K-12 and in Early Care and Education: Differences and Similarities, and Implications for ResearchPart I summarizes the differences between the K-12 and the early care and education fields. We found more than enough similarities to warrant a close consideration of the combined wisdom of both fields.
Part II: Effective Teacher Preparation in Early Care and Education: Toward a Comprehensive Research AgendaPart II contains an in-depth review of our ECE and K-12 teacher preparation research and outlines what remains to be learned. It concludes with a set of key recommendations for research and policy.

Learning Together: A Study of Six B.A. Completion Cohort Programs in ECE (Year 2 Report)

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

During the Year 2 interviews of the Learning Together study, the students resoundingly reported that the cohort model enabled them to access and succeed in a B.A.-level education in a way that would not otherwise have been possible. The students reported progress in overcoming the challenges described in the Year 1 report, and decreasing their reliance on some of the program supports as they progressed through the program. The students also identified the importance of employer support in successfully pursuing their educational goals.
The Learning Together study focuses on four California counties’ (Alameda, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, and San Francisco) efforts to expand bachelor’s degree opportunities in early care and education (ECE) for working adults....

California Early Care and Education Workforce Study: Licensed Family Child Care Providers, Marin Country 2006

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

In partnership, the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) at the University of California at Berkeley and the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network (Network) have gathered this information to help Marin County policymakers and planners assess current demand at teacher training institutions; plan for further investments in early childhood teacher preparation; and gain a baseline for measuring progress toward attaining a well-educated ECE workforce whose ethnic and linguistic diversity reflects that of Marin County’s children and families.
This report contains study findings for licensed family child care providers in Marin County.

Haydee B. Campbell: Expanding Education for Black Children and Opportunities for Black Women

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

In the late 1800s, the groundbreaking yet segregated public kindergartens of St. Louis, Missouri, included separate leadership and teacher training for Black women, with Haydee B. Campbell as the Superintendent of Black Kindergartens in St. Louis. While the history of early education in the city often focuses on well-known White leaders like Susan Blow and William Torrey Harris, the contributions of Black women have been erased and ignored for too long. By turning the spotlight on Haydee B. Campbell, we make visible not only Black women’s leadership as teachers, trainers, and pedagogical leaders, but the contributions of Black women’s clubs to the kindergarten movement in which Campbell worked as the supervisor of the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs (NACWC) Kindergarten Department. Centering Campbell provides a different view of history, where a win for public kindergartens meant incorporation into racially segregated school systems, often with disparate access...

Early Childhood Workforce Index 2020

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

The Early Childhood Workforce Index provides a state-by-state look at policies and conditions affecting the early care and education workforce. This biennial report has tracked state progress since 2016.
This third, 2020 edition of the Index continues to track state policies in essential areas like workforce qualifications, work environments, and compensation. The report provides updated policy recommendations and spotlights state responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two Years in Early Care and Education: A Community Portrait of Quality and Workforce Stability, Alameda County, California

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
This study was the first to provide a comprehensive portrait of early care and education services in one community, (Alameda County, CA) followed prospectively over time, and including all three sectors of the industry: licensed center-based care, licensed family child care homes, and license-exempt home-based care.

Teachers’ Voices: Work Environment Conditions That Impact Teacher Practice and Program Quality – Minnesota

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

This report examines teaching staff assessments of their work environments in Minnesota across the five SEQUAL domains: Teaching Supports, Learning Community, Job Crafting, Adult Well-Being, and Program Leadership with a focus on how their program environment contributes to or hinders their ability to apply their knowledge and skills and improve their practice. In addition to teaching staff perceptions of their work environments, assessments of how responses varied by teacher and site characteristics are documented. Findings reveal that common workplace challenges pose barriers to early child care educator well-being and classroom effectiveness. Findings also demonstrate the value of program policies that ensure dependable workplace supports and policies such as provisions for paid planning and reporting time.
This report is part of our Teachers’ Voices (SEQUAL) series. To facilitate bringing teachers’ voices into quality improvement strategies, the Center for the Study...

California Early Care and Education Workforce Study: Licensed Child Care Centers, Merced County 2006

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
This report is intended to identify the characteristics of Merced County’s current center-based early care and education workforce, both in light of proposed new requirements, and to help assess the size of the task of training the next generation of workers to care for young children.

Mississippi Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

This report describes the early childhood degree programs offered in Mississippi, focusing on variations in program content, age-group focus, student field-based learning, and faculty characteristics, as well as the extent to which Mississippi ECE higher education programs are incorporating early math, family engagement, and working with dual language learners.
This report is part of our Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory. The Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory, administered by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at the University of California at Berkeley, assists policymakers and other stakeholders to develop a more coordinated and comprehensive professional preparation and development system for the early care and education workforce. The Inventory is a mechanism to describe the landscape of a state’s early childhood degree program offerings, at the associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. The Inventory captures...

Indiana Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

This report describes the early childhood degree programs offered in Indiana, focusing on variations in program content, age group focus, student field-based learning, and faculty characteristic, as well as the extent to which Indiana ECE higher education programs are incorporating early math and family engagement.
This report is part of our Early Childhood higher Education Inventory. The Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory, administered by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at the University of California at Berkeley, assists policymakers and other stakeholders to develop a more coordinated and comprehensive professional preparation and development system for the early care and education workforce. The Inventory is a mechanism to describe the landscape of a state’s early childhood degree program offerings, at the associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. The Inventory captures variations in program goals, content, child...

California Early Care and Education Workforce Study: Licensed Child Care Centers, San Francisco County 2006

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
This report is intended to identify the characteristics of San Francisco County’s current center-based early care and education workforce, both in light of proposed new requirements, and to help assess the size of the task of training the next generation of workers to care for young children.

Learning Together: A Study of Six B.A. Completion Cohort Programs in ECE (Year 4 Report)

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

The Year 4 interviews of the Learning Together study reveal that two to three years post degree, nearly 95 percent of graduates remain in the early care and education (ECE) field, and that graduates overwhelmingly report personal, professional and educational benefits as a result of their B.A. degree cohort program. Specifically, graduates report that structural aspects of their B.A. program, such as financial aid and flexible class schedules, were important to their educational success, that the cohort experience continues to provide them with professional support, and that as a result of their degree attainment they now earn more, have advanced in their careers, and continue to explore educational opportunities. Graduates also identified several important areas for programmatic improvement, such as expanding coursework to include ECE public policy and classes on working with adults. They also discuss workplace characteristics that support or impede their abilities to engage...

California Early Care and Education Workforce Study: Licensed Family Child Care Providers, Santa Clara Country 2006

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

In partnership, the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) at the University of California at Berkeley and the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network (Network) have gathered this information to help Santa Clara County policymakers and planners assess current demand at teacher training institutions; plan for further investments in early childhood teacher preparation; and gain a baseline for measuring progress toward attaining a well-educated ECE workforce whose ethnic and linguistic diversity reflects that of Santa Clara County’s children and families.
This report contains study findings for licensed family child care providers in Santa Clara County.

Turnover Begets Turnover: An Examination of Job and Occupational Instability Among Child Care Center Staff

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
This study extends previous research by revealing the links among the characteristics and stability of the teaching staff as a whole and the retention of highly trained teachers. Research found that highly-trained teaching staff were more likely to leave their jobs if they earned lower wages, worked in a climate with less stability of highly- trained co-workers, and worked with a greater percentage of teaching staff who did not have a bachelor’s degree. The report underscores the multi-faceted benefits resulting from paying higher wages to all staff.

New Hampshire Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

This report describes the early childhood degree programs offered in New Hampshire, focusing on variations in program content, age group focus, student field-based learning, and faculty characteristics.
This report is part of our Early Childhood higher Education Inventory. The Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory, administered by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at the University of California at Berkeley, assists policymakers and other stakeholders to develop a more coordinated and comprehensive professional preparation and development system for the early care and education workforce. The Inventory is a mechanism to describe the landscape of a state’s early childhood degree program offerings, at the associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. The Inventory captures variations in program goals, content, child age-group focus, student field-based learning, and faculty characteristics and professional development needs. This information...

Tennessee Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

This report describes the early childhood degree programs offered in Tennessee, focusing on variations in program content, age-group focus, student field-based learning, and faculty characteristics, as well as the extent to which Tennessee ECE higher education programs are incorporating early math, family engagement, and working with dual language learners.
This report is part of our Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory. The Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory, administered by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at the University of California at Berkeley, assists policymakers and other stakeholders to develop a more coordinated and comprehensive professional preparation and development system for the early care and education workforce. The Inventory is a mechanism to describe the landscape of a state’s early childhood degree program offerings, at the associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. The Inventory captures variations...

Compensation and Comparable Worth: What Lies Ahead for California’s Preschool Teachers?

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
Noting that it has been generally recognized that the quality of services, and their benefits for young children, are closely intertwined with the qualifications, stability and compensation of the early care and education workforce, this report looks at the potential impact on publicly funded compensation for the early care and education workforce. It identifies the policy choices facing California and other states and the consequences of failing to adequately address compensation issues.

New York Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

This report describes the early childhood degree programs offered in New York, focusing on variations in program content, age group focus, student field-based learning, and faculty characteristic, as well as the extent to which New York ECE higher education programs are incorporating early math and family engagement.
This report is part of our Early Childhood higher Education Inventory. The Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory, administered by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at the University of California at Berkeley, assists policymakers and other stakeholders to develop a more coordinated and comprehensive professional preparation and development system for the early care and education workforce. The Inventory is a mechanism to describe the landscape of a state’s early childhood degree program offerings, at the associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. The Inventory captures variations in program goals, content, child age-group...

Early Childhood Educator Competencies: A Literature Review of Current Best Practices, and a Public Input Process on Next Steps for California

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
By request from First 5 California and with support from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, we conducted an extensive literature review in 2007 on current best practices across the United States for defining early childhood educator competencies–the appropriate knowledge and skills for working effectively with young children. We also solicited feedback broadly from California’s early care and education field on the appropriate structure and content of such competencies for our state. This report compiles our research and the input received from the field.

Then and Now: Changes in Child Care Staffing, 1994-2000

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
This report is a longitudinal study of center-based quality and staffing in three Northern California communities. It is a landmark study of staffing and stability in child care centers which provides a uniquely detailed look at teacher and director retention and turnover. The publication updates CCW’s 1997 study of NAEYC Accreditation as a Strategy for Improving Child Care Quality, offering new information on the ability of accredited centers to maintain quality gains over several years.

Strengthening the Knowledge, Skills, and Professional Identity of Early Educators: The Impact of the California SEIU Early Educator Apprenticeship Program

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Ensuring that early educators have the skills, knowledge, and experiences necessary to implement effective practices and the access to education that provides wage improvement remains critical. Quality improvement leaders and policymakers have increasingly considered alternative instructional and training models to deliver education, including the apprenticeship model, which is gaining favor with many in the early care and education field. This model combines classroom-based learning and on-the-job training to provide the knowledge and skills early educators need in order to implement effective practices in their early education roles.
In 2019, the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) conducted an evaluation of the SEIU Early Educator Apprenticeship Programs. This evaluation adds to the growing body of evidence that apprenticeship programs present a promising approach to improving the knowledge, skills, and professional identity of early educators....

Universal Preschool in California: An Overview of Workforce Issues

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
As considered, this report examined the workforce challenges that would face us if the state built its system. The paper provided a detailed analysis of these emerging workforce issues, intended to guide policy makers, planners and advocates in asking the right questions as they designed and developed a preschool system for California.

Disparities in California’s Child Care Subsidy System: A Look at Teacher Education, Stability and Diversity

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
Using data from the California Early Care and Education Workforce Study, this policy brief focuses on disparities in staff professional preparation, stability, and diversity between licensed child care centers that receive public funding solely through vouchers, and those that receive it through a contract with Head Start or the California Department of Education.

Understanding Many Languages: Preparing Early Educators to Teach Dual Language Learners

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
Understanding Many Languages: Preparing Early Educators to Teach Dual Language Learners calls attention to key findings related to preparing early educators to support the development and learning of the growing number of young children who are dual language learners. The brief draws upon studies of early childhood higher education degree programs conducted across thirteen states between 2012 and 2017. The studies explored how institutions of higher education and their degree programs were situated to educate and support early childhood teachers to be able to work effectively with young children learning more than one language.

The National Child Care Staffing Study Revisited: Four Years in the Life of Center-Based Child Care

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
In 1992, Center for the Child Care Workforce (CCW) returned to the original staffing study sites to assess changes in wages, benefits and turnover. Through interviews with 225 center directors across the nation, this follow-up study found meager improvement in teaching staff wages, identified in the original findings as the most important predictor of quality child care.

California Early Care and Education Workforce Study: Licensed Child Care Centers and Family Child Care Providers

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
In 2005, CSCCE and the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network, with funding from First 5 California and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, conducted a statewide survey of California licensed child care workforce. This study identified the number of center-based and home-based staff working in licensed child care. The statewide survey was replicated in eight California counties. If you are interested in receiving the county reports, contact us at cscceinfo@berkeley.edu.

California Early Care and Education Workforce Study: Licensed Family Child Care Providers, Los Angeles Country 2006

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

In partnership, the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) at the University of California at Berkeley and the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network (Network) have gathered this information to help Los Angeles County policymakers and planners assess current demand at teacher training institutions; plan for further investments in early childhood teacher preparation; and gain a baseline for measuring progress toward attaining a well-educated ECE workforce whose ethnic and linguistic diversity reflects that of Los Angeles County’s children and families.
This report contains study findings for licensed family child care providers in Los Angeles County.

California Early Care and Education Workforce Study: Licensed Child Care Centers, Santa Clara County 2006

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
This report is intended to identify the characteristics of Santa Clara County’s current center-based early care and education workforce, both in light of proposed new requirements, and to help assess the size of the task of training the next generation of workers to care for young children.

California Early Care and Education Workforce Study: Licensed Family Child Care Providers, Santa Francisco Country 2006

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

In partnership, the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) at the University of California at Berkeley and the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network (Network) have gathered this information to help San Francisco County policymakers and planners assess current demand at teacher training institutions; plan for further investments in early childhood teacher preparation; and gain a baseline for measuring progress toward attaining a well-educated ECE workforce whose ethnic and linguistic diversity reflects that of San Francisco County’s children and families.
This report contains study findings for licensed family child care providers in San Francisco County.

Beyond Homes and Centers: The Workforce in Three California Early Childhood Infrastructure Organizations

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
In this study we examined the career backgrounds and professional development needs of those working in child care resource and referral programs and local First 5 commissions and as child care coordinators across the state.

Who Cares? Child Care Teaching and the Quality of Care in America

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
This landmark study explored how teaching staff and their working conditions in 225 centers affect the caliber of center-based child care available in the United States. It first brought public attention to the problem of low wages and high turnover, and children attending lower-quality centers and centers with more staff turnover were less competent in their language and social development.

From Unlivable Wages to Just Pay for Early Educators

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Teaching in early care and education (ECE) programs is one of the lowest-paid occupations in the United States. In 2017, median wages for early educators ranged from $10.72 per hour (or $22,290 full-time per year) to $13.94 per hour (or $28,990 full-time per year). These are quite literally poverty-level wages: the federal poverty threshold for a family of four in 2017 was $24,600.
Low wages for early educators are not a new challenge. Compensation has been low in this field since its inception, but only recently have the public, policymakers, and other stakeholders begun to appreciate the full ramifications of paying such low wages for this crucial work – work that is performed mostly by women, nearly half of whom are women of color.
As a result of this increasing awareness of the problems of low wages, a growing consensus within the early childhood field recognizes that something must be done to improve compensation. Yet, little consensus exists on the primary...

Early Childhood Preparation for School Leaders: Lessons from New Jersey Principal Certification Programs

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
This report details the findings of the Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory: Principal Certification Programs [Principal Inventory] (CSCCE, 2016) conducted in the state of New Jersey in 2016. The Principal Inventory is a research tool used to assess the inclusion of course content and field experiences related to early education in preparation programs for educational professionals seeking to become principals. The report outlines an approach to reconceptualizing and strengthening preparation and support for principal candidates and current school leaders.

Learning Together: A Study of Six B.A. Completion Cohort Programs in ECE (Year 3 Report)

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

The Year 3 interviews of the Learning Together study reveal that the vast majority of students successfully graduated from their B.A. cohort program. Year 3 interviews focused on two issues of concern about higher education programs – the practicum experiences for employed students and the adequacy of attention to working with children from linguistically diverse backgrounds. The graduates overwhelmingly reported that their B.A. classes provided them with skills and strategies needed to communicate with children who speak a language other than their own. While the majority of students reported that their practicum experiences helped them do a better job at their workplace, they also identified several areas for improvement. The Year 3 study also reports on the graduates’ perspectives about support at their jobs for ongoing learning and any changes in employment and/or compensation upon completing their degree.
The Learning Together ...

California Early Care and Education Workforce Study: Licensed Child Care Centers, Santa Barbara County 2006

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
This report is intended to identify the characteristics of Santa Barbara County’s current center-based early care and education workforce, both in light of proposed new requirements, and to help assess the size of the task of training the next generation of workers to care for young children.

The Early Childhood Workforce Index 2016

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
The Index provides a current appraisal of workforce conditions and policies across states. It is divided into three topical sections: earnings and economic security; early childhood workforce policies; and family and income support policies across occupations. In the section on earnings and economic security, we provide national and state-level data on ECE workforce pay in relation to other occupations, noting changes over time. For the remaining two sections, we have identified measurable indicators of state policy for each topic, grouped by categories within each section. These indicators represent opportunities for state policies that have the potential to enhance the lives of the many children and adults affected by ECE employment conditions. Data sources are described within each section of the Index and we spotlight recent research or promising developments that advance new policies or improved conditions.

Strengthening the math-related teaching practices of the early care and education workforce: Insights from experts

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
Published in March 2014 with support from the Heising-Simons Foundation, this policy report explores the perspectives of nationally recognized experts in the field of mathematics and early care and education about three main issues:1. The knowledge and competencies that practitioners need in order to teach mathematics to young children;2. Effective strategies for educating practitioners to support young children’s mathematical development; and3. The challenges and successes that these experts have experienced in math-related ECE workforce development efforts.

Early Education Quality: Higher Teacher Qualifications for Better Learning Environments – A Literature Review

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
This literature review focuses on eight large scale investigations of child care quality as of 2003 and the relative contribution of the B.A. degree and specialized early childhood coursework to program quality.

Anna Evans Murray: Visionary Leadership in Public Kindergartens and Teacher Training

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Anna Evans Murray (1857-1955) was a racial justice activist, day nursery and kindergarten advocate, and educator whose contributions to advance public kindergarten focused on Washington, D.C. (Smith, 1996). In the national public kindergarten movement, the District of Columbia was one of the shining examples of successful efforts to secure public funding. The $12,000 allocation for the district’s public kindergartens approved by Congress with the 1898-1899 appropriations act is repeatedly mentioned in an early report detailing highlights from the city (Association for Childhood Education International, 1939). However, the process to secure public funding, the role of Black women’s leadership, and the national Black women’s movement undergirding these efforts was not noted by the Association of Childhood Education International (ACEI). Although earlier histories attribute the congressional appropriations to White women (Vandewalker, 1908), more recent and influential works credit...

California Early Care and Education Workforce Study: Licensed Family Child Care Providers, Santa Barbara Country 2006

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

In partnership, the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) at the University of California at Berkeley and the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network (Network) have gathered this information to help Santa Barbara County policymakers and planners assess current demand at teacher training institutions; plan for further investments in early childhood teacher preparation; and gain a baseline for measuring progress toward attaining a well-educated ECE workforce whose ethnic and linguistic diversity reflects that of Santa Barbara County’s children and families.
This report contains study findings for licensed family child care providers in Santa Barbara County.

Alameda County Early Care and Education Workforce Study 2016

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

This report identifies the demographic, education, and employment characteristics, including compensation and workplace conditions, of Alameda County’s early care and education workforce in centers that serve children prior to kindergarten. The report offers comparisons to the last study conducted in 2006 and includes a new area of examination related to the working conditions and professional activities of teaching staff.
Identifying similar data for early educators working in licensed family child care programs remains as important as for those in center-based programs but was not within the scope of this study.

Florida Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

This report describes the early childhood degree programs offered in Florida, focusing on variations in program content, age-group focus, student field-based learning, and faculty characteristics, as well as the extent to which Florida ECE higher education programs are incorporating early math, family engagement, and working with dual language learners.
This report is part of our Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory. The Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory, administered by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at the University of California at Berkeley, assists policymakers and other stakeholders to develop a more coordinated and comprehensive professional preparation and development system for the early care and education workforce. The Inventory is a mechanism to describe the landscape of a state’s early childhood degree program offerings, at the associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. The Inventory captures variations...

Staff Preparation, Reward, and Support: Are Quality Rating and Improvement Systems Including All of the Key Ingredients Necessary for Change?

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
As quality rating and improvement systems (QRISs) increasingly become the key strategy for improving the quality of early care and education, it is critical to understand and examine how such systems define quality, the benchmarks used to indicate quality, and the opportunities in place to support improvement. This report examines the extent to which QRISs support the professional development of practitioners and include in their rating rubrics key ingredients – staff qualifications, direct compensation, and the factors related to work settings – that have been linked to quality.

The Workforce Data Deficit: Who It Harms and How It Can Be Overcome

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Notwithstanding valiant efforts and some significant progress over the past few decades, an early care and education (ECE) workforce data deficit has endured, with persistent shortcomings in our data collection efforts at the national and state levels. Yet the early childhood field needs data-driven policy solutions. Only data can reveal inequities in access to professional development and better working conditions for early educators and inequities in access to highly qualified, well-supported early educators for children. Only data can provide the information needed to advocate for change.
As illustrated by the calls for better workforce data beginning in the 1970s, the time is long overdue to prioritize a more robust ECE workforce data agenda and to advocate for the necessary resources. Toward this agenda, we describe the existing data deficit and its consequences and outline the features of comprehensive and sound data. We apply these criteria to understand the strengths...

Arkansas Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

This report describes the early childhood degree programs offered in Arkansas, focusing on variations in program content, age-group focus, student field-based learning, and faculty characteristics, as well as the extent to which Arkansas ECE higher education programs are incorporating early math, family engagement, and working with dual language learners.
This report is part of our Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory. The Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory, administered by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at the University of California at Berkeley, assists policymakers and other stakeholders to develop a more coordinated and comprehensive professional preparation and development system for the early care and education workforce. The Inventory is a mechanism to describe the landscape of a state’s early childhood degree program offerings, at the associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. The Inventory captures variations...

NAEYC Accreditation as a Strategy for Improving Child Care Quality

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
This study focuses on the three communities in northern California over a two-year period (1994-1996). It examines the extent to which centers seeking and achieving NAEYC accreditation improve in quality, assesses the level of quality achieved by NAEYC accreditation centers, and explores the extent to which NAEYC accreditation contributes to a skilled and stable early care and education workforce.

Workforce Information: A Critical Component of Coordinated State Early Care and Education Data Systems

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000
In this report, we examine the early care and education workforce data landscape across the states, focusing on the three main workforce data systems operating across the states, ECE workforce registries, T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood®, and NACCRRAWare/T-TAM. This report also examines the challenges and efforts to align these systems.

Marin County Center-Based Early Care & Education Workforce Study 2019

Mon, 3 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

This report examines the demographic, educational, and employment characteristics (including compensation and benefits) of staff employed in center-based ECE programs throughout Marin County. The findings bring attention to the low wages and economic insecurity of the ECE workforce, particularly against a backdrop of one of the highest costs of living in the country. Key findings include high churn of teaching staff and a diverse workforce stratified by job role. The data were also examined by program type, participation in QRIS, and funding source.
This report is an extension of the SEQUAL Marin County study, Teachers’ Voices: Work Environment Conditions That Impact Teacher Practice and Program Quality – Marin County.