Strong Data Are Critical to Supporting the Early Care and Education Workforce

Source: Lin, V., Hackett, S.E., Richards, D., King, C., & Bredeson, M. (2024). System Transformation for Equitable Preschools (STEP Forward with Data) Framework. Child Trends. https://doi.org/10.56417/7986y3601e

Children’s interactions with the ECE workforce constitute much of their early learning journey. However, early childhood system leaders often struggle to assess whether the size and capacity of the ECE workforce meets families’ needs. Gaps in workforce training and skills, and misalignment between staff language abilities and community needs, might mean that some children can’t access the care they need and experience inconsistent care quality across communities. The STEP Framework helps leaders collect and analyze workforce data to address these gaps by:

• Identifying requirements for workforce preparation, including professional training and qualifications to ensure that educators are prepared to support all children
• Evaluating whether the languages spoken by staff match those spoken by the children they serve, ensuring that all families have access to the care they need
• Evaluating whether there are requirements for teaching that values different cultural backgrounds, traditions, and experiences; supports students’ emotional well-being; and promotes fair and unbiased instruction

While many systems leaders prioritize ECE workforce supply and professional development supports for early learning educators, workforce well-being and engagement in system-level decision making can sometimes be overlooked, leading to such problems as low wages, pay disparities by race and ethnicity, lack of benefits, and high staff turnover—all of which undermine program stability. Without supportive policies to address these issues, early childhood educators may face challenges that lead to burnout and turnover, ultimately disrupting program quality and continuity.

The STEP Framework helps system leaders implement workforce-supportive policies by using data to understand:

• Workforce involvement in shaping policies and system development
• Professional development offerings that strengthen family-workforce relationships
• Wage disparities (to support fair compensation)
• Access to benefits, such as health insurance, and career advancement opportunities (to improve workforce stability)
• Retention rates (to inform strategies for reducing turnover and maintaining a skilled workforce)

The ECE field faces an urgent crisis in recruiting and retaining a qualified ECE workforce, making data-driven decisions essential. The STEP Framework equips leaders with the tools to collect and use high-quality data to understand issues and implement solutions. By applying its guidance, early childhood leaders can strengthen the workforce, improve system stability, and enhance early learning experiences for all children.