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Early Educators
 One of the goals of the Early Education for All (EEA) Campaign is to ensure the creation of a statewide system to improve the training, education and compensation of the early childhood and school-age workforce.
Investing in Early Educators is Essential
Research shows that teachers’ education, training and compensation levels are the main determinants of early education program quality, which has a direct and positive effective on children’s healthy development.
Strategies for Improving the Early Education and Care Workforce in Massachusetts
This report of Strategies for Children, Inc. synthesizes lessons from previous research and promising workforce development programs to produce 10 recommendations for building a comprehensive workforce development system. Visit our publications page for the full report.
Recommendations:
1. |
The Executive Office of Education should improve collaboration across state level agencies to better support early educators attending state colleges and universities. |
2. |
Public and private investments should support regional and/or local entities in developing infrastructure to sustain workforce development programs. |
3. |
Public and private investments should be directed to providing tuition assistance for early educators seeking post-secondary degrees. |
4. |
Workforce development programs should use a “cohort model” to support early educators attending institutes of higher education. |
5. |
Workforce development programs should take a “case management approach” to addressing the needs of early educators. |
6. |
The Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) should develop a career lattice that identifies appropriate levels of education, training and experience for early educators. |
7. |
EEC in collaboration with other state agencies and private organizations should ensure that workforce development programs are linked to increased compensation. |
8. |
Massachusetts colleges and universities should address the needs of English language learners through bilingual courses and other educational supports. |
9. |
EEC and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education should work together to ensure early childhood programs in vocational high schools create a pipeline of highly-qualified early educators. |
10. |
State government should ensure that state-funded workforce development programs are outcome-driven and accountable. |
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Among
its charges, the Massachusetts Department of Early Education
and Care (EEC) oversees the development and implementation
of a workforce development system designed to support the
education, training, and compensation of the early education
and care workforce. Find
out what's going on at the Department of EEC.
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Initiatives Underway in Massachusetts
The Early Educators Scholarship Program provides tuition assistance to currently employed early educators to pursue an AA or BA in exchange for continued employment in the field
Building Careers is a cohort model program that funds college courses and advisement for non-traditional students to obtain college degrees.
The Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) program awards grants to early education providers to enhance quality, which includes investing in teacher education, training and compensation.
The Department of Early Education and Care is required to provide professional development offerings with proven, replicable results that demonstrate best practices.
The Commonwealth Corporation has awarded innovative Workforce Competitive Trust Fund grants to Worcester and Springfield to support the professional development and college education of the early childhood workforce. Read more about these initiatives in Strategies for Improving the Early Education and Care Workforce in
Massachusetts.
The regional Readiness Centers established by Gov. Deval Patrick to “improve the quality of teaching from birth through higher education” include early educators in their mission.
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