All children must receive high-quality, evidence-based, and continuous supports for learning in order to thrive. High-quality early childhood education starts with ensuring the early childhood workforce, has the necessary professional development opportunities, access to business resources, and other well-being supports needed to do their job well. This essential workforce forms the backbone of our communities’ economic infrastructure by enabling parents to work while providing crucial early learning experiences that positively shape children’s futures.
NLC’s Early Childhood Success team, has been leading transformative efforts to strengthen early childhood education including the workforce at the local level. Initially launched in 2016 with support from the Foundation for Child Development, the Cities Supporting the Early Childhood Workforce initiative began with a cohort of pioneering cities including Hartford, CT, Jacksonville, FL, Rochester, NY, Richmond, VA, and Kansas City, MO, with San Francisco, CA, and Seattle, WA serving as faculty advisors. In 2020, the initiative expanded to include Albuquerque, NM; Arlington, TX; and Las Vegas, NV and with support from the Vanguard Foundation’s Strong Start for Kids Program, NLC welcomed the cities of Charlotte, NC; Philadelphia, PA; and Phoenix, AZ.
As NLC continues to expand this vital work through peer learning networks and partnerships with national experts, helping local leaders develop comprehensive workforce support plans that address the complex challenges facing the informal and formal early childhood workforce. The newest phase of this work supported by the Vanguard Foundation focuses on the sustainability of the early childhood workforce in the Vanguard priority cities. Over the course of three years, NLC is working together with these communities as they continue to advance innovative approaches focused on three critical areas: supporting provider well-being, expanding professional development opportunities, and building comprehensive support systems for both the formal and informal early childhood workforce. Through this initiative, NLC is helping cities create sustainable pathways to strengthen and professionalize the early childhood workforce while ensuring access to high-quality care for children in their communities.
