Child Care Workforce

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Child Care Workforce

Workforce quality and compensation are major issues in child care. Low wages are common, particularly among teachers and caregivers serving infants and toddlers. State policies vary in terms of subsidy rates, wage supplements, and other policies that impact compensation; in education and training requirements for child care professionals; and in the availability of scholarship programs to incentivize educational advancement.

Featured Resources

Child Care in Crisis: Texas Care Study

In this research brief series, Child Care in Crisis: Texas Case Study, read about national child care issues through original findings from Texas, home to more than 10% of the nation’s children. The briefs explain the specific issues facing the child care industry and what states can do to support early childhood educators and child care businesses, as well as ensure that all families have access to high-quality child care.

Early Investment, a Lifetime of Returns: Articulating the Value of Early Childhood Investments in Virginia

Our estimates indicate that Virginia’s investment yields substantial returns to children, families, and the state–including reduced poverty and child maltreatment, a lifetime of improved educational achievement, and hundreds of millions of dollars in state economic returns.

Transforming the Child Care Landscape: A Case Study of New Mexico

The Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center undertook an exploratory research process to both document New Mexico’s historic state actions and to develop a theory of change that connects these actions to their most likely outcomes based on existing evidence in the field.

Related Resources

Willing Providers, Waiting Families: Subsidized Child Care in North Texas

In North Texas, child care providers already serving subsidized families are willing to serve more; yet, thousands of families remain waitlisted. Download the brief Child care is one of the highest expenses families with young

2025 Prenatal-to-3 Legislative Roundup

With most legislatures adjourned for the year, we recap the 2025 action on state policies to support children and families. So far this year, lawmakers throughout the country debated—and many passed—legislation that aligns with four key components of the prenatal-to-3 system of care.

Low Pay, No Matter the Path for Early Childhood Educators: Findings from North Texas

Recent survey data from North Texas indicate that early childhood educator wages remain far below the local living wage, regardless of years of experience or education level, offering little incentive for educators to stay or

The North Texas Child Care Workforce Study

The North Texas Child Care Workforce Study provides a comprehensive picture of North Texas’s early care and education (ECE) workforce, including workforce size, child care supply, educator characteristics, and experiences and challenges child care directors

Approaches to Improving Early Educators’ Compensation

Early educators remain among the most underpaid workers in the nation despite playing a critical role in child development and enabling workforce participation for parents. Across the country, the median wage for early educators is

June Update: Prenatal-to-3 State Legislative Trends

Though most legislative sessions have adjourned, lawmakers and advocates across the country continue to advance efforts to support children and families. A lot can happen at the tail end of a legislative session, as Colorado