Poster #30 - Early Childhood System Workforce Intersections and Implications for Recruitment and Career Development

• In Event: Saturday Poster Luncheon

Abstract

The early childhood sector is characterized by dedicated, but undercompensated professionals and employers seeing high turnover. Finding from the Michigan PDG-B5 Needs Assessment Workforce Study, completed in 2024, suggest that utilizing a broad system-level lens would help to strengthen career development, recruitment, and retention. In constrast to other studies, this work included professionals from across the early care and education (ECE), early intervention, home visiting, and social-emotional consultation, offering a new perspective on how policies and programs could address the intersections and differences within the sector. 

The research questions of the study are: (1) Who makes up the EC workforce, including their demographic, educational, and geographic characteristics? Why are they working in EC?; (2) Why do individuals enter, remain in, move through, and leave the EC workforce?; (3) How do individuals progress through different pathways in the EC system? Where are they heading with their career plans?; (4) What are the working conditions of individuals in the EC workforce? What policies can be implemented to improve working conditions?
The poster will focus on the findings from a statewide workforce survey and listening-workshopping sessions. These methods generated feedback from nearly 4,300 current, former, and aspiring early childhood professionals. The survey was distributed through state-level and regional contacts to ensure reach across the state and areas of the system. Workers were encouraged to share the survey with their peers. The session participants came from among the survey respondents. Sessions were held both virtually and in person with workers of different career stages, positions, and backgrounds. 

The key findings from this study include: (a) one quarter of early childhood workers had hesitations about working in the sector due to compensation and mental health concerns; (b) approximately one-third of workers carried student loan debt; (c) social-emotional consultants and early interventionists out-earn ECE and home visiting workers; (d) almost a third of the workers reported receiving public benefits; (e) managing stress tops the list of desired professional development topics for workers, followed by how to best work with children with disabilities; (f) a third of the workers expected to retire in the next five years; (g) ECE is a common starting point for professionals in the sector, many of whom go on to work in other areas of the system; and (h) across work areas, almost half of the EC workers responding to the survey had obtained a bachelor’s degree or higher. The recommendations highlight opportunities to enhance professional development and data systems, construct a more explicit and comprehensive career lattice, assist employers in creating better working conditions, and invest in workforce development.

Author

• Colleen E. Graber, Public Policy Associates
  Presenting Author