USA

The relationship between teacher qualification and the quality of early childhood care and learning environment attempts to synthesize the empirical evidence on the relationship of teacher qualifications on the quality of early childhood learning environments. The study aims to answer one question:Is there a relationship between the level and type of education of the lead teacher, and the quality of the early childhood learning environment, as measured by the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, the Infant Toddler Environment Rating Scale and their revised versions?The authors review 48 studies with 82 independent samples from 1980 to 2014, examining the relationship between teacher qualification and the quality of ECEC environment. The results draw upon information from quantitative research data from a number of countries, showing that higher qualifications of teachers are significantly correlated with higher quality ECEC. 

Through Rethinking Credential Requirements in Early Education, New America takes a look into a recent policy change in the District of Columbia, which will require all lead teachers in licensed early childhood centers to hold an associate degree.Emphasizing the importance of ensuring young children have access to competent early educators, the report discusses several options for credentialing this workforce. Discussions of credentialing through a bachelor’s degree, as well as apprenticeship are included in the report.  

Proposed Revisions to the Definitions for the Early Childhood Workforce in the Standard Occupational Classification proposes changes to the titles, definitions, and placement for the detailed occupations involving the early childhood care and education workforce in the Standard Occupational Classification.

This paper does the following:

• summarizes the key principles and coding guidelines from the 2010 SOC that must be taken into account in proposing revisions to the SOC definitions for the ECCE workforce;
• presents the definitions for the current detailed occupational categories in the SOC pertaining to the ECCE workforce;
• summarizes the problems with the current categorization and definitions as identified by the NAS Committee, and further issues that the Workgroup has identified when considering how the current definitions align with the principles and coding guidelines for the SOC;
• proposes a revised set of categories and definitions, indicating how they address the problems with the current occupational categories and definitions while adhering to the current principles and coding guidelines for the SOC;
• indicates how the revised categories and definitions could be used in conjunction with data on employment by industry to identify key subgroups of the ECCE workforce that are of high priority to federal agencies and other public and private users of the data;
• discusses the important priority of time series continuity (noting the proposed addition of a new Classification Principle focusing on this priority in the May 22nd, 2014 Federal Register Notice), and the potential for conducting time series analyses if the new occupational categories and definitions are adopted;
• discusses the differing contributions of recurrent data collection on the ECCE workforce through the
• federal statistical system and such one-time or periodic efforts as the National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE); and finally,
• acknowledges key limitations that cannot be addressed through proposing changes to the SOC categories and definitions, because of the nature of federal data collection on occupations, as well as the need for parallel steps to be taken to review definitions for the workforce working with school-age children in out-of-school-time care.

Proposed Revisions to the Definitions for the Early Childhood Workforce in the Standard Occupational Classification was commissioned by the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and submitted by the Workgroup on the Early Childhood Workforce and Professional Development.

2016 Alameda County Early Care and Education Workforce Study aims to inform policy, planning and advocacy efforts in California, specifically Alameda County. The study collected countrywide information about teaching staff employed by center-based ECE programs with the goal of identifying the demographic, education and employment characteristics of Alameda Country’s center-based workforce. The data is intended to inform policy makers and to serve as a resource for stakeholders interested in information on the state of the early childhood workforce to inform policymaking, planning and the investment of resources.

Teachers’ Voices: Work Environment Conditions That Impact Teacher Practice and Program Quality presents the findings from the SEQUAL study focused on teaching staff. Supportive Environmental Quality Underlying Adult Learning (SEQUAL), developed by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE), is used to document contextual information about workplace conditions that impact teacher practice and program quality and to build a vocabulary for the field around teachers’ needs for workplace support. The tool addresses five critical areas of teachers’ learning environments:

• Teaching supports;
• Learning opportunities;
• Policies and practices that support teaching staff’s initiative and teamwork;
• Adult well-being; and
• How supervisors and program leaders interact with staff to support their teaching practice.

In this study, assistant teachers, teachers, lead teachers and administrators employed at the 42 center-based early care and education programs reported assessments of their work environments for each of the five SEQUAL domains. This resource presents information for each of these domains, as well as recommendations for funders and policymakers.

You can find out more about SEQUAL on the CSCCE website here.

Child Protective Services Workforce Analysis and Recommendations looks at the growing issue of child abuse in Texas and the great challenge of retaining a high-quality workforce in the state’s Child Protective Services (CPS). This documents explores trends and past reforms in the state, before addressing the issue of workforce turnover. Several issues that contribute to turnover are addressed, as well as the stages of the system.

The Best Teachers for Our Littlest Learners? Lessons from Head Start's Last Decade aims to inform efforts to strengthen the early childhood workforce by documenting the current state of the Head Start workforce in the United States. Through five parts, this paper examines the effects of recent efforts to improve the skills of Head Start teachers. This paper includes:

• a review the evolution of Head Start workforce policy over the last 50 years;
• an analysis of the impact of the most recent reauthorization of Head Start;
• case studies of the evolution of the Head Start workforce in four states;
• a discussion of how the broader policy and research context has evolved since the last reauthorization of Head Start; and
• policy recommendations to strengthen the Head Start workforce.

Describing the Preparation and Ongoing Professional Development of the Infant/ Toddler Workforce: An Analysis of the National Survey for Early Care and Education Data presents an analysis describing the professional development activities of the United States’ Infant/Toddler (I/T) workforce. The analyses shared in this brief aim to help the filed better understand the strengths and needs of the I/T workforce in center-based and home-based early care and education programs.

Child Care: Research-Based Policy Recommendations for Executive and Legislative Officials in 2017 presents the following set of reccomenations:

• Use regional market rate survey data to inform a tax credit formula that will provide a true benefit to families.
• Support a highly effective child care workforce with scholarships for training and education.
• Use caution when amending child care regulations, specifically child-teacher ratios and group size requirements.

This short policy brief was released by Child Trends.

This bulletin for professionals presents an overview of child welfare supervision and explores the dimensions of supervision that agencies may want to consider as they seek to strengthen the effectiveness of their services to children and families. This bulletin is designed to provide child welfare supervisors, managers, and related professionals with examples of States’ efforts to strengthen supervisory capacity and with tools and resources to enhance supervisory skills.