Centering Quality, Centering Equity: Lessons Learned in Increasing Early Childhood Educator Credentials

Thriving communities depend on a strong early childhood education (ECE) system–one where both young children and members of the workforce are served and supported. In recent years, state government leaders have increasingly focused on changing qualifications for specific ECE roles, as increasing credential requirements has sometimes been associated with increasing quality. However, across the country, early childhood educators face significant barriers to economic security and continuing education–all while supporting children, parents, and their communities with specialized education services.  

Our new report, created in partnership with the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality, examines the barriers that even highly qualified early child educators experience in the face of increased credential requirements. Featuring case studies of California and Washington, D.C., the report offers implications for policies that protect educators and advance racial and economic equity in the profession.  

Included here with the report are an Executive Summary encapsulating our findings and a Technical Document describing our methodology, data collection, and quantitative analysis.