Support Training that Works
The Challenge
Building a skilled ECE workforce isn’t about mandating credentials; it’s about developing staff who are effective with young children. Degrees alone don’t predict effectiveness, yet many state policies still prioritize credentials over more effective, job-embedded training.
When states focus too heavily on credentials, it backfires:
Degree mandates shrink the talent pool, excluding capable staff who are effective with children but lack formal credentials
Experienced staff are displaced by candidates with on-paper qualifications but little practical skill
New talent is discouraged from entering the field by costly credential barriers
Small ECE businesses struggle to find and keep staff who actually work well with young children
The current system wastes money and talent. Staff often lack access to practical training that improves their skills, even as states subsidize degrees that may advance careers but don’t consistently improve staff effectiveness or child outcomes.
Parents struggle to find programs they trust. Meanwhile, the talented people programs need are excluded by requirements unrelated to what actually matters — effectiveness with young children.
The Strategy for States
States can build workforce quality through practical, cost-effective approaches:
Avoid degree mandates that shrink the talent pool and raise costs without improving outcomes
Focus on competency-based training in essential skills: engaging children through play, guiding behavior, partnering with parents, and maintaining safe environments
Establish career pathways that recognize experience and demonstrated competence over accumulation of degrees
Create early-career pipelines through high-school apprenticeships
Expand mentorship programs that enable new staff to build skills through hands-on work with young children under the guidance of experienced colleagues
Provide on-site coaching and ongoing support, especially for small-business owners who can’t leave their programs to attend classes
Support home-based programs with business training and professional development — helping these small ECE businesses compete and thrive
The goal: Build a skilled workforce through practical training that improves child outcomes — not expensive mandates that shrink the talent pool and burden small ECE businesses with added costs.
Why This Works
Effective ECE depends on how adults interact with children — not the degrees they hold. Degrees can support professional growth, but policy shouldn’t treat them as the primary path to quality. Practice-focused training delivers more impact at far lower cost — for staff and for the children they serve.
This strategy focuses on what matters:
A $2,000 apprenticeship that builds real skills beats a $40,000 degree that doesn’t
Competency-based training expands the talent pool and keeps experienced staff in the field
On-site support strengthens small ECE businesses while keeping their doors open
Parents get what they value most — staff who support their children’s development and help them thrive
The result: a stronger workforce that supports children’s development and sustains more dependable programs for families.
