Supporting the early childhood workforce is one of cities’ greatest opportunities for strengthening communities and driving economic growth in 2025. The early childhood workforce includes educators, caregivers and business owners, including operators of child care centers and family child care homes, who provide early learning and support to young children and their families across both informal and formal settings. These dedicated educators do more than nurture our youngest learners: they enable workforce participation, fuel local economies and build the foundation for our shared future. As municipal leaders understand their broader workforce development efforts, Mayor Alan Webber of the City of Santa Fe shared in a new video, “Child care is one of those critical variables that solves so many different issues simultaneously. It means the young child is being given good care… and it means that mom and dad can go to work and earn a living and use their talents to make a difference.”
While there are significant challenges in early childhood education, from staffing shortages to burnout, cities across the country are discovering innovative ways to support and elevate this crucial workforce. By investing in the holistic well-being of early childhood educators, local governments can transform challenges into opportunities, creating ripple effects that benefit entire communities. The start of 2025 offers the perfect moment for cities to implement comprehensive support systems that recognize early childhood educators not just as essential workers, but as a vital workforce to community prosperity whose own well-being must be prioritized and sustained.
1. Invest in Comprehensive Compensation Support
The foundation of a stable early childhood workforce lies in financial well-being through fair and sustainable compensation. Cities can implement comprehensive business and financial support programs that address both immediate financial needs and long-term economic security. This includes establishing local wage standards that reflect the professional nature of early childhood education, creating health insurance access programs that make coverage affordable and accessible and developing retention bonus structures that reward commitment to the field. By addressing compensation holistically, cities not only support current educators but also make the profession more attractive to potential new educators, helping to build a pipeline of qualified professionals. These programs can be funded through various mechanisms, including dedicated tax revenues, federal grant programs or public-private partnerships.
2. Establish Registered Apprenticeship Programs
Apprenticeship programs represent a powerful tool for workforce development that benefits both new and experienced educators. These structured programs combine paid on-the-job learning with relevant classroom instruction, creating a clear pathway to qualification while ensuring participants can support themselves financially. Cities can support apprenticeship programs by providing funding for training costs, coordinating with child care centers to create placement opportunities and working with educational institutions to develop an appropriate curriculum. Well-designed apprenticeship programs also include mentorship, creating leadership opportunities for experienced educators while supporting newcomers to the field. Cities interested in establishing early childhood education apprenticeship programs learn more and can access support through NLC’s new Apprenticeship for Cities Technical Assistance Cohort.
3. Create Professional Growth Pathways
In addition to establishing workforce pathways into early childhood education, professional development must be reimagined as an accessible, continuous journey rather than a series of isolated requirements. Cities can establish coordinated professional growth systems that include peer learning communities, business training cohorts and targeted skill development programs. These initiatives should be designed with the unique needs of early childhood educators in mind, offering flexible scheduling options, location-accessible training and immediate practical application opportunities. Professional development programs should also include specialized tracks for different roles within early childhood education, from classroom teachers to center directors and business owners, ensuring that each educator can build relevant skills for their career goals. For aspiring and current child care center owners, cities should provide dedicated business development support, including financial training and small business resources that recognize child care centers as vital local businesses. Including business and leadership training helps educators advance their careers while strengthening the overall child care infrastructure.
4. Strengthen Cross-Department City Collaboration
Effective support for the early childhood workforce requires coordinated action across all city departments. This includes coordinating between economic development, education, parks and recreation and other city departments to maximize resources and align initiatives. City department collaboration can streamline processes for educators, create unified workforce support systems and ensure early childhood workforce development is integrated into broader city planning. When city departments break down silos and work together, they can better leverage municipal resources, align policy objectives and create more effective support systems for early childhood educators.
5. Build Strategic Community Partnerships
The complexity of supporting the early childhood workforce demands strong external partnerships. Cities can facilitate meaningful engagement between child care educators and various community stakeholders, including higher education institutions, workforce development boards and business leaders. Higher education partnerships can lead to specialized courses or degree programs and credit for prior learning. Business community involvement can extend beyond traditional financial support to include operational expertise, technology resources and advocacy for supportive policies. Healthcare partnerships can improve access to preventive care and wellness programs. Through these strategic partnerships, cities can create comprehensive support networks that strengthen the entire early childhood education ecosystem.
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