As demand grows for early childhood educators, workforce leaders are exploring new strategies to attract, train, and retain the professionals who support children and families every day. The Urban Institute’s new research report, Early Care and Education Apprenticeships Learning Agenda, examines how registered apprenticeships can strengthen career pathways, improve job quality, and address workforce shortages across the early care and education (ECE) field.
The report highlights the value of collaboration between workforce boards, education providers, and employers in designing apprenticeship programs that balance classroom instruction with paid, hands-on learning. It also offers a learning framework for policymakers and practitioners to expand equitable access to training and advancement opportunities for early educators.
Midwest Urban Strategies Executive Director Tracey Carey contributed to this report, lending her expertise on how workforce boards can align apprenticeship design with local labor market needs. Her participation reflects MUS’s ongoing leadership in connecting workforce innovation to policy, ensuring that national strategies are informed by real-world experience. Through this collaboration, MUS continues to advance a vision where the early care and education workforce has access to meaningful, well-supported, and rewarding careers.
Read the full report:
Urban Institute ECE Apprenticeships Learning Agenda:
https://www.urban.org/research/publication/early-care-and-education-apprenticeships-learning-agenda
