Data Sources on Early Child Care and Education Workers

Both federal and state governments collect data on some, but not all,  ECCE workers. According to these data, there were nearly 1.8 million ECCE workers  nationwide in 2009 in a range of ECCE positions. Average  income ranged from $11,500 to $18,000 per year for the various ECCE  worker positions and was around $33,000 per year for program  directors. Preschool teachers working in elementary schools: ACS data do not  distinguish preschool teachers in elementary schools from kindergarten  teachers. HHS has provided guidance and funding for state registry systems. Increased Education and Training Can Improve Worker Quality

Experts and government officials that we spoke with said that in general,  better educated and trained ECCE workers are more effective than those  with less education and training because they are able to acquire the  skills and knowledge necessary to more effectively work with children. Worker Quality Improvement Activities Include Training and Scholarships, but Program and Funding Data Are Scarce

		HHS and Education Use Existing Programs and Newer Initiatives to Improve Worker Quality

HHS and Education administer six key ECCE programs that provide states  and other grantees the flexibility to spend federal dollars for ECCE  purposes—sometimes from program funds set aside to improve general  program quality—on a variety of workforce quality improvement activities. Both HHS and Education have appointed a senior-level staff member as a “point person”  to coordinate with other federal agencies and raise awareness of the importance of early  care and education. Jointly administering the Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge  grant, which is intended to improve the quality of ECCE for children. States Used Over $1 Billion in CCDF and State Funds for Worker Training and Other Activities

In our survey of state child care directors, the 37 states that responded  reported spending at least $1.4 billion on activities to improve ECCE  worker quality over fiscal years 2007 through 2010. All 37 states reported pursuing in-service training,  coaching, and mentoring, and 34 states said they offered scholarships or  other financial aid to students in postsecondary education. HHS and Education have taken a number of  steps to improve data collection, such as funding a survey of caregivers  and teachers, and beginning to work with BLS and Census to determine  how best to improve federal statistical surveys, which include data on  ECCE workers across program settings; however, it is too early in the  process to assess the impact of these changes on federal data collection  efforts in general, let alone their ultimate success in improving federal  data on the ECCE workforce iin particular. In their written comments, both Education and HHS generally agreed with  the report’s conclusions, namely that data on the ECCE workforce need to  be improved. Appendix I: Scope and Methodology

The objectives of our report on the quality of Early Child Care and  Education (ECCE) workers were to determine (1) What is known about  the composition, education, and income of ECCE workers and how these  characteristics relate to quality? and (2) What activities are the  Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of  Education (Education), and the states financing to improve worker  quality? What We Know about the ECCE Workforce and How These Characteristics Relate to Quality

To address the first objective, we analyzed data on the composition,  education level, and income of the ECCE workforce from the U.S. Census  Bureau’s (Census) American Community Survey (ACS) and HHS’s Head  Start Program Information Report (PIR); interviewed ECCE experts,  researchers and government officials; reviewed relevant federal laws and  regulations; and identified and reviewed studies on the characteristics  and quality of the ECCE workforce. Our search used such search terms as child  care workers, preschool teachers, and early childhood care providers. Most Early Head Start Teachers Have  The Required Credentials, But Challenges Exist.
Why GAO Did This Study

Research shows that well trained and educated ECCE workers are key to helping children in care reach their full developmental potential. Federal and state governments spend billions of dollars each year to improve ECCE programs, including the quality of its caregivers and teachers. Because of the importance of this workforce and the federal investment in it, GAO examined (1) what is known about the composition, education, and income of the ECCE workforce and how these characteristics relate to quality, and (2) what activities are the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Education, and the states financing to improve worker quality? GAO surveyed state child care administrators, interviewed HHS, Department of Education (Education), and other federal and state officials; interviewed ECCE experts and researchers; analyzed Census Bureau and Head Start data; conducted a literature search; and reviewed relevant federal laws and regulations.

What GAO Found

The paid early child care and education (ECCE) workforce was made up of approximately 1.8 million workers in a range of positions, most of whom had relatively low levels of education and income, according to Censuss 2009 American Community Survey (ACS) data. For example, nearly half of all child care workers had a high school degree or less as did 20 percent of preschool teachers. Average yearly income ranged from $11,500 for a child care worker working in a childs home to $18,000 for a preschool teacher. Experts and government officials that we spoke with said, in general, better educated and trained ECCE workers are more effective than those with less education and training. They also noted the need for more comprehensive workforce datasuch as on workers with specialized ECCE training. While existing ECCE workforce data provide valuable insight into worker characteristics, critical data gaps exist. For example, these data omit key segments of ECCE workers, such as some caregivers who provide child care in their own homes, and also do not separately identify preschool teachers working in elementary schools. HHS and Education have taken steps to improve ECCE workforce data, such as providing guidance and funding to states to encourage the collection of state-level data and working with federal agencies to improve workforce data collected nationally.
HHS, Education, and the states use training, scholarships, and other activities to improve ECCE worker quality, but program and funding data are scarce. For example, HHS funded online training to help Head Start teachers meet new teacher credentialing requirements. Both HHS and Education have collaborated on initiatives to improve ECCE worker quality, such as the Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge Grants. For the most part, however, neither HHS nor Education track expenditures on worker quality improvement. In our survey, states reported that the most common workforce improvement activities were in-service training, coaching, and mentoring for current workers (all 37 state survey respondents) and scholarships to workers enrolled in higher education programs (34 states). Of those who knew funding sources for these activities, states reported relying primarily on state and federal child care funds.

What GAO Recommends

GAO is not making recommendations in this report. HHS and Education generally agreed with the reports findings and conclusions and also provided additional information on several specific points in the report.