Working with young children is intellectually, emotionally, and physically demanding. These challenges are compounded by the inadequate compensation that characterizes the early care and education (ECE) sector and lack of workplace support such as access to health benefits, retirement plans, and time off (Montoya et al., 2022). The cumulative…

Our look at the well-being of California's early educators points to the need to consider work environments in early care and education (ECE) policy development. The learning environments of young children are also the work environments of the ECE workforce. Supportive and safe work environments that foster a respectful workplace climate can…

From February to April, New America conducted over 30 interviews with experts, care providers, and union representatives, focusing on three states. This report outlines key considerations for improving care worker job quality through organizing. We also include case studies on care worker organizing in California, Illinois, Washington, and the…

Little research has been conducted on the effectiveness of training strategies for child care providers. The current study used an experimental intent-to-treat design to measure the impact of an established intervention, the on-site caregiver training component of the Program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC), on child development and child care…

The California Early Childhood Mentor Teacher Program matches experienced child care teachers with high school and community college students in child care and development who want direct experience working with young children. This 25-minute video describes the mentor program, illustrating the benefits of the mentor-intern relationship with…

The California Early Childhood Mentor Teacher Program matches experienced child care teachers with high school and community college students in child care and development who want direct experience working with young children. This 12-minute video describes the program's annual Institute for Early Childhood Mentors, during which current and…

A generic staff development model for kindergarten through sixth-grade child care programs is described. Recommendations for the what, when, and how of staff development activities are based on a review of the literature and a needs assessment survey administered in two school districts and a private sector, school-age child care program in…

There is evidence that increasing the compensation of child care workers improves the quality of child care. This study was funded by the Child Development Division of the California Department of Education to identify policy options addressing the improvement of compensation for staff working in child care and development programs. The report…

Background information is provided on child development programs and services in California community colleges. First, the report outlines the current status of child development centers and the three kinds of centers currently operated (i.e., lab schools, child care programs, and combination programs); the number and types of centers in…

In 1991, a study was conducted to determine the extent to which the stringency of state regulations ensures high quality in child care settings and the extent to which California's child care staffing crisis can be addressed through regulatory changes. To compare child care quality under different licensing standards, the study examined findings…

This document consists of a six-panel promotional brochure and a 15-page program description, both detailing the Developing a Partnership (DAP) in Early Childhood Education Program. This Los Angeles County, California, preschool/primary school training effort aims to enhance teaching and parenting skills through early childhood education. It also…

Child development programs at the 103 California community colleges were studied to justify and demonstrate the need for continued project development of on-campus laboratory facilities. Information, collected from college catalogs, directories, and telephone interviews with college personnel, was analyzed to clarify confusing terminology and to…

This first of fifteen sets of Adult Competency Education (ACE) Based Job Descriptions in the ACE kit contains job descriptions for Child Care Attendent, Guard, and Medical Assistant. Each begins with a fact sheet that includes this information: occupational title, D.O.T. code, ACE number, career ladder, D.O.T. general educational developmental…