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Early childhood educators are in high demand, but new credential requirements are forcing many to return to higher education.
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Early childhood education (ECE) professionals are in high demand across the nation, and child care is a growing economic crisis for parents due to rising costs and limited availability of services. Credentialing ECE staff, however, can be a challenge because they often earn significantly lower wages than other workers with the same level of education—meaning the cost of higher education doesn’t always pay off in their work.
New changing requirements within ECE roles requires upskilling or reskilling among those who are already in the field, as well, which can disproportionally affect some student groups, including low-income learners, women and students of color, according to a July report from The Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS) and the Georgetown University Center on Poverty and Inequality.
To encourage learners to pursue postsecondary education and credentials in ECE, colleges, systems and states have provided funding to offset student costs.
Dollars in the classroom: In 2021, Illinois established the Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) Scholarship Program, which covers the total cost of attendance for an academic year, including the summer, to improve the ECE workforce in the state. Southern Illinois University used a $937,000 grant from the state to provide $31,000 scholarships annually to students studying early childhood and host a three-day conference for ECE professionals.
Mercyhurst University received a grant from the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education in July to upskill current employees of licensed childcare centers. With the grant, qualifying individuals (Pennsylvania residents, working full-time and with limited income) will receive a scholarship that covers tuition, fees and books for a Bachelor of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education at the university.
The Colorado Community College System received $38.5 million from the state to cover tuition, fees and other expenses for students enrolled in seven training programs starting fall 2023, including early childhood education. Career Advance Colorado’s free early childhood program is offered at 15 community and technical colleges across the state.
The University of Arkansas’s College of Education and Health Professions received funding from the Arkansas Department of Education to provide scholarships for certified practicing educators who want to specialize in supporting students with disabilities. With the funding, the university will award 25 scholarships for the Online Early Childhood Pre-K Special Education Academy, covering students’ tuition, books and fees. The specialization can also be applied to a Masters of Education in special education from the U of A for educators interested in continuing their studies.
Promoting equity: TICAS’s report highlights structural barriers in higher education institutions that can limit equitable access to ECE career development.
Credential requirement policies should be accommodating to the experiences of ECE professionals, including flexible class times, competency-based pathways and culturally responsive classrooms (recognizing the majority of ECE staff are women and/or people of color).
Community colleges are uniquely positioned to meet the workforce need, having lower credit costs and more widely available programs, but four-year institutions can also consider ways to make ECE bachelor’s degrees affordable and accommodating to interested learners.
The University of Delaware announced in May it would create an associate degree in early childhood education. This program will be primarily online and flexible, allowing students to enroll part- or full-time and select if they will meet online, in the evenings or on weekends.
Neighboring Delaware State University, Delaware Technical Community College and Wilmington University will award current and incoming students who hold Child Development Associates (CDAs) 12 credits for prior learning at no charge to accelerate their time to degree.
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