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1
Introduction
E
arly childhood is a period of enormous growth and development.
Children are developing more rapidly during the period from birth
to age 5 than at any other time in their lives, shaped in large part
by their experiences in the world. These early years of development
are critical for providing a firm foundation in cognitive, language, and
motor development, as well as social, emotional, regulatory, and moral
development (NRC and IOM, 2000). Stimulating, nurturing, and stable
relationships with parents and other caregivers are of prime importance
to children’s healthy development, and the absence of these factors can
compromise children’s development.
The individuals who comprise the early childhood care and educa-
tion (ECCE) workforce are important providers of these early experiences.
They form meaningful bonds with the children in their care, and their
interactions, behaviors, and teaching practices all influence children’s
development, as well as their later school readiness (NRC, 2001; Peisner-
Feinberg et al., 2001; Pianta and Stuhlman, 2004). Moreover, they are
affecting the development of an increasing proportion of U.S. children.
Current estimates indicate that more than half of the 25.5 million U.S.
children under age 6 spend time in the regular care of someone other
than a parent in a typical week (Federal Interagency Forum on Child and
Family Statistics, 2011; Iruka and Carver, 2006). These arrangements can
include center-based child care, preschool, family child care centers, or
informal care arrangements with friends, family, and neighbors, both paid
1
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2 THE EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION WORKFORCE
and unpaid. The term “early childhood care and education” is inclusive
of all these arrangements.
Policy-maker and public perception of ECCE is frequently at odds
with the weighty responsibilities of this workforce, who influence so
many facets of children’s development both in the short and long terms
(Karoly et al., 2005). As the authors of From Neurons to Neighborhoods
concluded:
The time is long overdue for society to recognize the significance of out-
of-home relationships for young children, to esteem those who care for
them when their parents are not available, and to compensate them ad-
equately as a means of supporting stability, and quality in these relation-
ships for all children, regardless of their families’ income and irrespective
of their developmental needs. (NRC and IOM, 2000, p. 7)
Ten years since the publication of that report, most teachers and care-
givers continue to receive low wages and to have low status, and are
often described as “babysitters” or as “watching” children. Teachers in
publicly funded preschool settings have fared somewhat better, but even
these positions are viewed as low-status roles compared with elementary
and secondary educators. The results of these circumstances include high
turnover and few career opportunities in the field (Kagan et al., 2008).
The primary purpose of the early care or educational setting plays a
role in shaping the perceptions and expectations for the workforce. Bellm
and Whitebook (2006) describe two types of ECCE services—those with
an educational focus and those whose primary function is to provide a
safe setting that meets the basic needs of children of working parents.
These purposes shape the terminology that describes the workforce (e.g.,
teachers versus caregivers), as well as policies and regulations at the local,
state, and federal levels (Bellm and Whitebook, 2006).
Real differences between settings on degree of focus on educational
goals relative to caring for children’s basic needs exist. However, oppor-
tunities to nurture healthy development and early learning occur in all of
these settings, and some argue that children in all settings should expe-
rience effective practices regardless of the primary purpose of the care
arrangement (NAEYC, 2009). Some have also argued that a workforce
that can implement research-based practices is essential, not only because
these high-quality experiences are beneficial to children, but also more
importantly because the low-quality experiences that are so prevalent
actually can harm children’s development and contribute to a widening
achievement gap prior to kindergarten (Pianta et al., 2009).
These practices include providing a rich environment and nurturing
care, teaching in an intentional manner, and making effective decisions in
creative and appropriate ways (Hamre and Pianta, 2005; NAEYC, 2009;
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3
INTRODUCTION
Pianta et al., 2008). Ideally, this approach involves implementing cur-
riculums, individually tailoring activities, and assessing progress, while
responding flexibly to the varied personalities and basic care needs of the
children and families they serve, all tasks that demand knowledge, skills,
and flexibility. Adding to these demands are the greater numbers of chil-
dren in poverty and children who are English-language learners, many
of whom are from immigrant families (Garcia and Frede, 2010; Suárez-
Orozco and Suárez-Orozco, 2001). These particular groups of children
most frequently need these high-quality experiences and yet have limited
access to them (NRC, 2001).
Studies have examined particular segments of the workforce (e.g.,
Head Start or state prekindergarten programs), but few data exist about
this workforce as a whole to help policy makers develop strategies for
improving early childhood care and education, or to evaluate the effective-
ness of those policies (Brandon and Martinez-Beck, 2006). The available
data indicate that the workforce is largely female and poorly compensated
(see Chapter 2; Kagan et al., 2008); however, they vary widely in many
other ways shaped by contextual factors at various levels. Working condi-
tions, compensation, professional development opportunities, incentives
and systems of recognition, and administrative support, as well as poli -
cies at the federal, state, and local levels, constitute the context that shape
how this vital workforce functions.
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP AND THIS REPORT
Recognition of the critical importance of the ECCE workforce and
the lack of attention that has been paid to it provided the impetus for a
workshop conducted in Washington, DC, in March 2011 by the Board on
Children, Youth, and Families of the Institute of Medicine and National
Research Council, with the support of the Administration for Children
and Families of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Over
a day and a half, the workshop consisted of invited presentations, as well
as discussion periods with discussant panels and workshop participants.
More than 70 participants attended the workshop, in addition to plan -
ning committee members and invited speakers. Participants included
researchers, policy analysts, association representatives, university faculty
and administrators, leaders of state early childhood programs, adminis -
trators of ECCE programs, individuals involved with professional devel -
opment, and federal staff from various agencies.
The primary purpose of the workshop was to provide an adequate
description of the ECCE workforce, outlining the parameters that define
that population. The planning committee interpreted this charge as
encompassing three areas of examination: (1) defining and describing the
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4 THE EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION WORKFORCE
nature of the current ECCE workforce; (2) examining the characteristics of
the workforce that affect the development of children; and (3) describing
the context of the workforce and how best to build the ECCE profession
in ways that promote program quality and effective child outcomes, while
supporting the essential individuals who provide care and education.
The workshop presentations and discussions are described in this
report. Chapter 2 focuses on ways to define, quantify, and describe the
early childhood care and education workforce, and Chapter 3 discusses
some of the economic and policy issues that affect it. Chapter 4 exam -
ines the effects that the characteristics of this workforce may have on
children and their families, and Chapter 5 presents prospects for under-
standing the challenges that face the workforce and strategies for building
the workforce and the profession. The final chapter summarizes the key
themes that emerged from the presentations and discussions. The agenda,
a list of workshop participants, and materials commissioned for the work-
shop are included as appendixes. These materials include two papers
that summarize a review of the data on the ECCE workforce and provide
relevant background information on selected federal workforce data sys-
tems. The presentations and other materials from the workshop may be
found on the National Academies website at http://www.bocyf.org/
early_childcare_workforce_workshop.html. This workshop report1 was
prepared through collaboration among the study staff and the workshop
planning committee.
1 The report summarizes the views expressed by workshop participants. Although the
committee is responsible for the overall quality and accuracy of the report as a record of
what transpired at the workshop, the views contained in the report are not necessarily those
of the committee.
