Access to affordable, high-quality child care is an economic imperative. Without it, parents cannot work, employers cannot operate efficiently, and communities cannot grow. Despite its essential role, early childhood education (ECE) remains underfunded, leading to low wages, limited benefits, and high turnover rates among the ECE workforce. These hallmarks of poor job quality have left the workforce system in a quandary – how do we invest in this critical infrastructure without tanking our performance measures? One proven solution is Registered Apprenticeship. Registered Apprenticeship programs in ECE train and upskill new and incumbent child care workers, offering them the opportunity to earn a wage while gaining the credentials they need to advance and succeed in the child care industry.
Midwest Urban Strategies (MUS) is partnering with the Early Childhood Workforce Connector (ECWC) to grow Registered Apprenticeship in the child care sector. ECWC supports workforce development boards around the country to expand access to child care for job seekers by supporting the development of Registered Apprenticeship programs for the child care workforce. By investing in the child care workforce, more child care providers are able to recruit, retain, and advance a workforce that is well-qualified and well-compensated. Employers in all industries rely on high-quality and accessible early childhood education as a means to recruit and retain their workers; the ECE industry should not have to solve the child care crisis alone.
Join us on Tuesday, June 17, at 2pm ET for a conversation about how to connect the dots between employers, workers, and the child care industry to advance effective strategies, such as Registered Apprenticeship, to solve the child care crisis.
Speakers:
Tracey Carey, Executive Director, Midwest Urban Strategies
Marjorie Cohen, Project Manager, LPE Associates
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