Early-Childhood Workforce

Preschool teacher with kids sitting nearby while she reads a book.
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Early Childhood Head Start Teachers Will Earn More—But Programs Might Have to Serve Fewer Kids
A new federal rule will raise wages for Head Start employees—but providers won't get any additional funding.
Mark Lieberman, August 22, 2024
7 min read
Close crop of the back of a pre-school girl's head showing her playing with foam puzzle pieces of shapes and numbers.
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Early Childhood What the Research Says 6 Challenges for Early Educators as Preschool Growth Halts
School enrollment for the nation’s youngest learners has nosedived—and could cause long-term problems.
Sarah D. Sparks & Gina Tomko, August 25, 2023
4 min read
Image of a band aid being applied after a vaccination.
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Teaching Profession 'We’re Not Being Taken Care of': Many Teachers Still Ineligible for Vaccines
In parts of the country, teachers and child-care providers are still waiting their turn—and for some, there is no end in sight.
Madeline Will, February 5, 2021
10 min read
Early Childhood Apprenticeships Could Offer Big Benefits for Early-Ed Teachers, Report Argues
The think tank New America finds that early-childhood educators may benefit from apprenticeship programs that let them receive training while still working full-time.
Marva Hinton, March 19, 2019
2 min read
Early Childhood New Study Calls for More Research Into Early-Childhood Teacher Preparation
There's a new focus on getting more training to early-childhood educators, but there's a dearth of information about what constitutes a high-quality, teacher-preparation program.
Marva Hinton, December 10, 2018
2 min read
Early Childhood Child-Care Provider Offers Free Ride to College for Thousands of Employees
Bright Horizons is offering its 20,000 child-care workers in the United States an opportunity to earn an associate or bachelor's degree in early-childhood education for free.
Marva Hinton, August 7, 2018
5 min read
Early Childhood Child-Care Pay So Low, Many Workers Qualify for Government Help, Report Says
The 2018 Early Childhood Workforce Index by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley finds that the median salary for a child-care worker was $10.72 an hour in 2017.
Marva Hinton, June 28, 2018
3 min read
Early Childhood Louisiana Hopes New Early-Childhood Credential Will Professionalize Workforce
The credential, which will be required of new lead preschool teachers in 2019, requires recipients to do practice teaching and to receive mentoring and coaching.
Marva Hinton, May 31, 2018
3 min read
Early Childhood Survey Finds Majority of K-3 Teachers Feel Unity With Preschool Educators
Two-thirds of K-3 teachers view themselves as early-childhood educators and three-quarters support creation of a unified, aligned system of early-childhood education from birth to age 8.
Marva Hinton, May 18, 2018
3 min read
Professional Development Group Releases Redesigned Early-Ed. Professional Development Program
The revamped, online professional development program was produced by Too Small to Fail and will allow early-childhood educators to earn training hours toward a Child Development Associate credential.
Marva Hinton, April 27, 2018
2 min read
Early Childhood Study Finds Big Early-Ed. Pay Gaps in Washington, D.C., Area
Urban Institute researchers found that on average entry-level kindergarten teachers in Washington, D.C., make $12 more per hour than early-childhood educators at all levels in the region.
Marva Hinton, April 19, 2018
2 min read
Early Childhood Are Community Colleges the Key to Improving Early-Childhood Education?
A new report examines the role of community colleges in preparing the early-childhood education workforce as more policymakers recommend these workers obtain four-year degrees.
Marva Hinton, March 6, 2018
3 min read
A multi-ethnic group of preschool students is sitting with their legs crossed on the floor in their classroom. The mixed-race female teacher is sitting on the floor facing the children. The happy kids are smiling and following the teacher's instructions. They have their arms raised in the air.
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Early Childhood Preschool Class Size—Within Reason—Doesn't Matter, Study Finds
Only child-to-teacher ratios of 7.5 to 1 or lower, or class sizes of 15 children or fewer, were linked to benefits for children.
Christina A. Samuels, August 4, 2017
2 min read
Early Childhood Researchers to Probe Effect of Seattle's Minimum Wage Hike on Child-Care Workers
Seattle plans to boost its minimum wage to $15 by 2021. Will child-care programs be able to absorb the increased labor costs?
Christina A. Samuels, June 30, 2017
2 min read