Professionalizing the field….again Creating cognitive dissonance Significant funder interest in advancing workforce policies and investments at the state level Alliance funding as part of a larger constellation of efforts by foundations (FCD, NAM cohorts)

Key Questions for this Audience: Where do workforce registries fit in this advocacy movement? What roles can registry managers and administrators play as advocates for registries and for broader workforce issues?

Policy/Advocacy Priorities . . . Where do registries fit? Pathways and Supports to Higher Degrees/Credentials Articulation CTE in high schools Credits for existing experience/competencies Scholarships Cohort models Compensation Wage supplements Tax credits Pay parity Minimum wage Diversity Leadership (competencies, credentials) More rigorous professional development (e.g., coaching, PLCs)

Challenge: We Need Data How long does it take for early childhood educators at different levels of education to attain AAs or BAs? What supports help them succeed or accelerate this process? How much funding is needed to help educators attain higher degrees/credentials? What’s the relationship between attaining higher degrees/credentials and compensation? What’s the relationship between having more professionals with higher degrees/credentials and the racial and linguistic diversity of the workforce? What’s the relationship between raising compensation and workforce diversity? How much funding is needed to lift compensation to a certain standard? Which compensation strategies are more impactful? How do minimum wage policies affect compensation of early childhood educators? Workforce data – and workforce registries – should be more relevant than ever. What are registries best suited to do? What requires other data analysis or research strategies?

Registries and the Role of Early Childhood Advocates Relationships between registry leaders and advocates? Capacity of registry leaders? Articulating the “ask”? Orientation of registry community (inward vs. outward)? State advocates need data to help them make the case for improving policies and investments for the EC workforce. They rely on workarounds – workforce study (recent or old), anecdotes, national data, etc. Why isn’t this issue higher on their agenda? Relationships between registry leaders and advocates? Capacity of registry leaders to engage in advocacy? Articulating the policy or funding “asks” that are needed to improve registries? Orientation of registry community – technical issues, support educators and providers and on-the-ground implementation (looking inward), rather than informing policies and advocacy (looking outward)?

Key Questions for this Audience: Where do workforce registries fit in this advocacy movement? What roles can registry managers and administrators play as advocates for registries and for broader workforce issues?

Contact Info Albert Wat Senior Policy Director Alliance for Early Success awat@earlysuccess.org www.earlysuccess.org