Training & professional development

There is mounting evidence on the positive link between high quality early childhood development (ECD) personnel and the physical, social, and cognitive development of young children. Despite this growing body of knowledge, the early childhood workforce continues to face challenges such as inadequate training, low remuneration, and a lack of professional recognition. Moreover, a lack of documentation on promising approaches to address these workforce challenges limits opportunities to learn from the implementation experiences of different countries around the world.

To bring light to these challenges, and potential responses to them, the Early Childhood Workforce Initiative (ECWI) has developed 6 country briefs which highlight efforts to support the workforce across different geographies and services.

These country briefs were informed by desk reviews and information collected through key informant interviews (KII) with country experts from implementing NGOs, multilaterals, and research institutions, as well as program managers and government officials across 15 countries. After identifying six promising country approaches to highlight, we conducted further desk research and interviews to inform the country briefs. These interviews were particularly helpful for clarifying the key enablers and barriers to implementation in each country as well as the policy lessons for other countries.

The first of these briefs focuses on Ecuador. Professionalizing the Workforce Supporting Infants and Toddlers from Birth to Three highlights the government of Ecuador’s approach to professionalizing childcare center and home visiting workers with pre- and in-service training that emphasizes theoretical knowledge and practical skills.

Denise Bonsu, Results for Development

2019

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.

Center for the Study of Child Care Employment Institute for Research on Labor and Employment University of California, Berkeley

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) – the phase before primary education – is increasingly acknowledged as providing the foundations for lifelong learning and development. This second edition of Key Data on Early Childhood Education and Care in Europe charts the progress made in the key quality areas identified in the Council Recommendation on High Quality ECEC Systems.

The report provides indicators on the key quality areas of governance, access, staff, educational guidelines as well as evaluation and monitoring. Cross-cutting these key areas, it presents a child-centred approach, with special attention being paid to the inter-relatedness of policies in different areas. The importance of inclusiveness in education is also stressed as high quality ECEC is considered to be one of the best ways to increase equity and equality in society.

Part one provides policymakers, researchers and parents with comparative information on the current ECEC policies across Europe. Part two gives an overview of the key features of national ECEC systems accompanied by a diagram of their structure.
The scope of the report is wide, covering centre-based and regulated home-based provision in both the public and private sectors in the 38 European countries (43 education systems) participating in the EU's Erasmus+ programme. It includes the 28 Member States of the European Union as well as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia and Turkey.

European Commission

2019

Recruiting and retaining skilled staff is a long-standing challenge for the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector. OECD countries are increasingly demanding that ECEC staff be highly skilled and highly qualified, but a combination of low wages, a lack of status and public recognition, poor working conditions, and limited opportunities for professional development mean that recruitment and retention are frequently difficult. What can countries do to build a highly qualified and well-trained ECEC workforce? What is the best route to increasing staff skills without exacerbating staff shortages? How can countries boost pay and working conditions in the context of limited resources? Building on past OECD work on early childhood education and care, and drawing on the experience of OECD countries, this report outlines good practice policy measures for improving jobs in ECEC and for constructing a high-quality workforce.

OECD

2019

Drawing on the importance of highly qualified teachers and on the high levels of teacher shortages, countries must consider how they can improve both the quantity and quality of their teacher workforce, including in contexts where infrastructure is limited, poverty is widespread and crisis and conflict are realities. Solving the twin challenges of teacher supply and teacher quality will require time and investment. It will also require innovation and a willingness to experiment and confront problems with new tools and approaches. When considering different ‘outside the box’ strategies to bring teacher development to scale at minimal cost, especially in poor countries, UNESCO kept returning to a simple but increasingly prevalent technology: mobile phones.

This publication concerns UNESCO’s attempt to fill this gap and pilot projects to help in-service teachers who are not often reached by standard capacity development initiatives. While the UNESCO projects did not target pre-service teachers, they shine light on practices that would benefit teachers preparing to enter classrooms as well as those who are already working. The chapters present what was attempted where, why and to what result. UNESCO’s aim was to both test an overarching concept—can mobile technology support professional development?—and understand, at a local level, what elements contribute to the success and failure of individual projects implemented in unique contexts. To do this, pilot projects were carried out in four different countries, using four different designs and targeting four different beneficiary groups. This diverse project portfolio helped UNESCO probe the strengths and limitations of different solutions deployed in real-world settings. What follows is an account of lessons learned and a description of how UNESCO’s approaches might be employed elsewhere.

Miao, Fengchun, West, Mark, Hyo-Jeong So, Toh, Yancy

UNESCO

2017

This 4th annual report includes a multi-country, four region review of the state of the social service workforce. Through Alliance-led mappings and assessments in three regions in collaboration with UNICEF, and information from mappings and assessments in a fourth region, this report consolidates trends and data and makes recommendations for better planning, development and support to this frontline workforce. The report also makes connections to the Alliance's Call to Action for Strengthening the Social Service Workforce to Better Protect Children and Achieve the SDGs. The data and findings are intended to build the evidence base in support of advocacy efforts to gain government and stakeholder commitments for strengthening the social service workforce.

Alex Collins

Global Social Service Workforce Alliance

2019

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 allows policy makers, institutions of higher education and other stakeholders to identify the gaps and opportunities in the available offerings, make informed policy decisions, and assess the capacity of the higher education system over time. There are reports for 14 states (Tennessee, Arkansas, California, Florida, Indiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Washington)

Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (Berkeley)

2018

Understanding the personnel-related opportunities and challenges the early childhood education (ECE) sector faces, as well as how these differ from those encountered in grades K-12, in order to adopt an early learning strategy for the U.S that is capable of improving educational outcomes for young children is of central importance. To that end, this paper begins with the public perception of early childhood teaching, followed by a brief discussion of the history and purpose of education for children of different ages. Next, the paper describes key features of the personnel systems that have emerged from these varied roots, comparing them along several dimensions, and conclude with suggestions for promoting a skilled and stable early care and education workforce for the 21st century.

Marcy Whitebook, Caitlein McLean

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

2014

There is broad consensus that high-quality environments for young children depend on teachers who are skilled at nurturing their development and learning, yet low pay and inadequate working conditions routinely hamper teachers in their efforts to apply their skills and knowledge. Yet, the voices of early educators — those working with children from infancy through preschool — are rarely heard, and public awareness of the challenges facing this workforce remains low. Compared to their K-12 peers, early educators are less organized and vocal about their situation, but a persistent state of teacher crisis casts a pall over efforts to ensure high-quality early care and education for all children prior to kindergarten. This study captures the perspectives of early educators about their working environments in one state, New York, and how these environments impact teaching staff practice and wellbeing. In order to teach to the best of their ability, educators require work environments that support their ongoing learning, emphasize time without child responsibilities for professional activities, and offer dependable benefits that ensure their well-being. With prioritization of workforce supports, quality improvement initiatives can make substantive progress towards a system that is equitable, efficient, and effective for children, their families, and educators alike. Capturing the experiences and perspectives of early educators working directly with children as a component of evaluating QUALITYstarsNY presents an opportunity to further refine and strengthen the policies, practices, and resources necessary to facilitate a high-quality system that supports children and their teachers alike. 

Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (Berkeley)

2018

Public policy work is often incremental. Sometimes successes are realized by steady movement along the same path. Sometimes great strides are made by starting over and doing something bold. There is not one single right way to approach policy work. But before any plans are made and actions are taken, it is crucial that all stakeholders are aware of the current policies and contexts. Workforce Designs: A Policy Blueprint for State Early Childhood Professional Development Systems (the Blueprint) provides a common framework that can help advocates and policy-makers take stock of existing workforce policies.
The planning guide provides five steps and guiding questions to help conduct an environmental scan of state early childhood workforce system policies and to begin planning action steps:
Step 1. Gather and Describe: What are your current state workforce system policies?
Step 2. Analyze: Do the policies apply or meet the policy-making principles?
Step 3. Determine: What are your goals?
Step 4. Discuss and Consider: What are your opportunities?
Step 5. Plan: What are your priorities?

NAEYC - National Association for the Education of Young Children

2008