Strengthening and supporting the early childhood workforce at scale: A comparative review

• In Event: Early Childhood Systems, Policy, and Governance

Proposal

Mounting evidence on the strong, positive impact of early childhood development (ECD) services has encouraged governments and other institutions to invest more in the early years. Despite a growing body of knowledge on the benefits of ECD and years of experience in implementing ECD programs, many well-intentioned efforts struggle with providing quality services and moving beyond the pilot or project stage. Improving the quality of early childhood experiences depends on strengthening the skills, professional development, and employment conditions of those who work with young children. However, in many countries, little policy attention is paid to early childhood workers, who are too often undervalued, underpaid, and inadequately prepared. Although we know that one of the most crucial factors influencing the quality of ECD services at scale is the workforce, key questions remain unanswered. What do early childhood professionals and paraprofessionals need to know and be able to do in order to perform effectively? What types of training and mentoring opportunities are available? What motivates members of the early childhood workforce in their day-to-day work? What policies are needed to support a qualified, stable workforce at scale?

This paper addresses some of these questions by presenting findings from country studies of the early childhood workforce in Peru, South Africa, and Ukraine. The research aims to shed light on the challenges affecting the quality and supply of the early childhood workforce, identify recommendations to overcome these bottlenecks in each country, as well as share broader cross-country lessons to inform efforts to improve policies for the early childhood workforce in diverse contexts. Each country study focused on specific members of the early childhood workforce who work in programs for children birth to age 8 and their families. These programs include the Cuna Más Home Visiting program in Peru, preschool programs in Ukraine, and first 1,000 days services in South Africa. In each country, the research teams carried out key informant interviews and focus groups of early childhood practitioners, parents, local and national policymakers, and representatives of training and professional organizations and then analyzed these data using qualitative methods. Where feasible, cost data were incorporated into the analysis.

Based on the analysis, a series of findings were generated for each country study which relate to: initial preparation, ongoing support, parent and family engagement, recruitment, workload, motivation/satisfaction, and compensation/incentives. The research also highlights both low-cost, short-term policy options that have the potential to strengthen the workforce as well as longer-term solutions that are likely to require more substantial financial and human resources. For example, in the Peru country study, short-term policy options relate to easing the workloads of overburdened staff while long-term solutions relate to improving compensation and incentives for the workforce in order to make it a more attractive employment option in the long-term.

After presenting the country-specific findings and policy recommendations, the paper identifies themes emerging across the studies. These include the challenging nature of this workforce’s day to day roles which are influenced by a number of factors such as long hours and limited experience working with young children. While the studies find that in-service training opportunities are valued and seen as a pathway to career advancement, they may not be offered frequently enough and topics are not always driven by demand. However, despite the fact that their roles may not be attractive and can be challenging to carry out, members of this workforce remain motivated by a strong desire to support children’s development.

The three recently completed studies were conducted to inform the Early Childhood Workforce Initiative (ECWI), a global, multi-stakeholder effort to promote quality, equitable services through a focus those work with families and young children, as well as those who supervise and mentor practitioners. Launched in 2016, ECWI supports rigorous analytical work, an online knowledge hub and webinars, and collaborative learning activities among policymakers, practitioners, and scholars, with an emphasis on both South-South and North-South exchange.

Authors

• Michelle Neuman, Results for Development Institute

• Vidya Putcha, Results for Development Institute

• Kimberly Josephson, Results for Development Institute

• Kavita Hatipoglu, Results for Development Institute