Our Publications
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How States Can Increase Access to Benefits for Early Educators
This National ECE Workforce Center research-to-practice brief outlines strategies state and local administrators can use to increase access to benefits like health care, retirement contributions, paid time off, and paid planning time. This brief expands on a previous brief, Benefits Offered to Center-Based Early Care and Education Educators, by considering what educators say they need…
Published 2025
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Data-driven Decision Making in Systems Change for the ECE Workforce
Early care and education (ECE) leaders can use data to strengthen their efforts and achieve lasting change for the ECE workforce. This research-to-practice brief shows how data can inform every stage of the systems change life cycle, from planning to implementation to impact. It outlines best practices and highlights real-world strategies leaders are using to…
Published 2025
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Financial Relief for Early Educators to Access Higher Education
The cost of higher education can be a major obstacle for early educators seeking to pursue higher education, but there are financial relief strategies states are employing to help. This research-to-practice brief outlines five strategies states are using to promote early educators’ access to higher education, as well as opportunities to advance our knowledge of…
Published 2025
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How Staffing Patterns Shape Work Environments for Early Educators
Early educators are critical to creating safe, high-quality learning environments for children in early care and education (ECE) settings. But these learning environments are also work environments for educators—and staffing plays a key role in shaping how supportive those work environments are. This National ECE Workforce Center research highlight summarizes the evidence behind how staffing…
Published 2025
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Incorporating Early Educators’ Experience Into Career Pathways
Field experience is one way through which early educators can gain key competencies, but few states include experience as a qualification for career advancement. This National ECE Workforce Center research-to-practice brief identifies two promising approaches for how ECE systems leaders can incorporate experience, in addition to professional development and education, into career pathways.
Published 2025
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Benefits Offered to Center-Based Early Care and Education Educators
This National ECE Workforce Center research-to-practice brief describes new analyses of the 2019 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE) investigating the types of benefits packages offered to center-based early educators. This brief summarizes the impact benefits packages have on educator well-being and shares innovations from states that can support flexible and sustainable provision…
Published 2025
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Five Strategies for Supporting ECE Educators Through Career Advancement
This research-to-practice brief, produced by the National ECE Workforce Center, outlines key implementation strategies for supporting the current ECE workforce in advancing their educational qualifications. The evidence-based guidance is intended for systems leaders, institutions of higher education, and professional development agencies whether they are at the planning, implementing, or studying stage of one of our…
Published 2025
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Three Things We Learned From AI Analysis of CCDF Plans
This policy highlight from the National ECE Workforce Center describes three key takeaways from our review of states’ 2025-2027 Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) plans. Every few years, states outline a plan for how they will use CCDF funds to offer services to families through subsidized child care, oversee the regulation of child care…
Published 2025
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Introduction to the ECE Workforce Systems Change Framework
This brief introduces the National ECE Workforce Center’s vision for strengthening the ECE workforce. It presents the ECE Workforce Systems Change Framework—a tool designed to support state and local leaders in driving meaningful change. Learn about the Change Framework’s foundation, core aims, key drivers, and real-world examples of how it can guide improvements across programs…
Published 2025
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Promising Career Pathway Approaches: Registered Apprenticeships
This National ECE Workforce Center research-to-practice brief describes key considerations for system leaders and researchers interested in developing, strengthening, and/or studying registered apprenticeships for current educators and those entering the workforce. There is emerging evidence that ECE registered apprenticeships are a promising career pathway, reducing barriers to increasing qualifications for educators in the ECE field…
Published 2025