Preparing Early Childhood Teachers: Implications for Improving Recruitment, Quality, Accessibility, and Success

• In Event: Sunday Roundtable Session 3:05 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Coaching, Professional Learning, and Early Childhood Teacher Preparation (Table 2)

Abstract

Almost every state has invested in expanding publicly funded preschool and developing early childhood teaching credentials (Friedman-Krauss et al., 2022). These policy shifts are increasing the demand for preparing additional credentialed lead early childhood teachers and the development of new early childhood teacher preparation programs. To better understand some of the different approaches to early childhood teacher credentialing, this paper examined the national landscape of early childhood teaching credentials and used a nested design to examine four states—Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York—and two early educator preparation programs within each state. Findings identify key policy strategies that can inform state policymakers’ and IHEs efforts to improve candidate recruitment, program quality and accessibility, and educator success.

Authors

• Abby Christine Winer Schachner, Learning Policy Institute

• Victoria Wang, Learning Policy Institute

• Cathy Yun, Learning Policy Institute