- How many early childhood educators are employed in the United States?
- How many teachers work in public elementary and secondary schools (K-12)?
- How many states require early care and education pre-service qualifications and ongoing training hours for teachers and directors in child care centers?
- How many states require early care and education pre-service qualifications and ongoing training hours for family child care providers?
- How many early childhood education teachers have degrees or college-level education?
- How many teachers in public elementary and secondary schools have a bachelor's degree or higher?
- What is the average hourly wage for teachers and administrators in early childhood programs?
- What is the average annual salary for teachers and administrators in early childhood programs, kindergarten, and elementary schools?
- How many states are building, implementing, or have implemented early childhood workforce registries?
- How many states are implementing the Child Care WAGE$® Project?
- How many states are implementing the TEACH® Early Childhood Project?
- What professional development policies do states have in statutes, regulations, or executive orders?
How many early childhood educators are employed in the United States?
- In 2004, there were over 2.1 million early childhood educators.
| Total number of early childhood educators employed | 2,163,057 |
| Number of center-based teachers |
352,447 (16%) |
| Number of center-based administrators |
74,325 (3%) |
| Number of other center-based staff1 |
493,723 (23%) |
| Number of home-based educators |
735,710 (34%) |
| Number of school-based ECE staff except teachers |
112,723 (5%) |
| Number of school-based pre-kindergarten and kindergarten teachers |
240,957 (11%) |
| Number of ECE staff in other industries |
153,172 (7%) |
1Other center-based staff includes other center-based occupations that deal with children (e.g., teachers, assistant teachers, and teachers aides)
Note: Center-based includes private and public, for-profit and not-for-profit child care centers, Head Start centers, and stand alone nursery schools and preschools. School-based includes early childhood occupations employed by elementary schools. Home-based includes family/group child care homes as well as private household child care workers.
Source: Economic Policy Institute. Losing Ground in Early Childhood Education: Declining Workforce Qualifications in an Expanding Industry, 1979-2004. (2005) http://www.epi.org/publication/study_ece_summary/
How many teachers work in public elementary and secondary schools (K-12)?
- There were 3,114,700 regular, full-time teachers working in public elementary and secondary schools in the 2007-2008 academic year.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Characteristics of Public, Private, and Bureau of Indian Education Elementary and Secondary School Teachers in the United States: Results from the 2007-2008 Schools and Staffing Survey. (June 2009) http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2009/2009320.pdf
How many states require early care and education pre-service qualifications and ongoing training hours for teachers and directors in child care centers?
| Setting | Role | Number of States that Require Pre-Service Qualifications | Number of States that Require Annual Ongoing Hours |
| Child Care Center | Teacher | 16 | 48 |
| Master Teacher1 | 14 | 16 | |
| Director | 40 | 46 |
1In 2011, 17 states regulate the master teacher role.
Note: States includes the District of Columbia for a total of 51 entities.
Sources: National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center (2011). State Requirements for Minimum Preservice Qualifications and Annual Ongoing Training Hours for Child Care Center Teachers and Master Teachers in 2011. http://occ-archive.org/pubs/cclicensingreq/cclr-teachers.html
National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center (2011). State Requirements for Minimum Preservice Qualifications, Administrative Training, and Annual Ongoing Training Hours for Child Care Center Directors in 2011. http://occ-archive.org/pubs/cclicensingreq/cclr-directors.html
How many states require early care and education pre-service qualifications and ongoing training hours for family child care providers?
| Setting | Role | Number of States that Require Pre-Service Qualifications | Number of States that Require Annual Ongoing Hours |
| Family Child Care | Small Family Child Care Home Provider | 11 | 39 |
| Large Family Child Care Home Provider1 | 15 | 37 |
1A large family child care home is defined as two or more providers (or one provider and one or more adult assistants) legally caring for one or more unrelated children in the residence of one of the providers. In addition, there must be a child:staff ratio requirement the either stipulates that more than one adult must be present at all times or that is based on the ages of the children in care.
Notes:
- 43 states require small family child care homes to be licensed
- 41 states require large family child care homes to be licensed
- States includes the District of Columbia for a total of 51 entities
Source: National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center (2011). Minimum Preservice Qualifications, Orientation/Initial Licensure, and Annual Ongoing Training Hours for Family Child Care Providers in 2011. http://occ-archive.org/pubs/cclicensingreq/cclr-famcare.html
How many early childhood education teachers have degrees or college-level education?
- In 2004, 70% teachers and administrators working in center-based early childhood education had some college-level education; one-third had a bachelor’s degree.
- Overall, in 2004, 58% of early childhood educators had some college-level education or higher.
| Setting | Role | Percentage of Workforce |
| Child Care Centers1 | Center Teachers and Administrators | |
| Bachelor's Degree or more | 30% | |
| Some College (including Associate's degree) | 40% | |
| 12th Grade | 26% | |
| High School or less | 4% | |
| All Center-Based Educators | ||
| Bachelor's Degree or more | 19% | |
| Some College (including Associate's degree) | 39% | |
| 12th Grade | 33% | |
| High School or less | 9% | |
| Home-Based Child Care2 | All Home-Based Providers | |
| Bachelor's Degree or more | 11% | |
| Some College (including Associate's degree) | 32% | |
| High School or less | 56% | |
1Center-based includes child care centers, Head Start centers, nursery schools, and preschools.
2Home-based includes family/group child care homes and private household child care workers.
Source: Economic Policy Institute. Losing Ground in Early Childhood Education: Declining Workforce Qualifications in an Expanding Industry, 1979-2004. (2005) http://www.epinet.org/studies/ece/losing_ground-full_text.pdf
How many teachers in public elementary and secondary schools have a bachelor's degree or higher?
In the 2007-2008 school year:
- 0.8% of regular, full-time teachers in all public schools (K-12) had less than a bachelor's degree.
- 47.4% of regular, full-time teachers in all public schools (K-12) had a bachelor's degree as their highest degree.
- 43.1% of regular, full-time teachers in all public schools (K-12) had a master's degree as their highest degree.
- 7.3% of regular, full-time teachers in all public schools (K-12) had higher than a master's degree.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Characteristics of Public, Private, and Bureau of Indian Education Elementary and Secondary School Teachers in the United States: Results from the 2007-2008 Schools and Staffing Survey. (June 2009) http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2009/2009324.pdf
What is the average median hourly wage for teachers and administrators in early childhood programs?
- Child care workers: $9.34 per hour
- Preschool teachers (except special education): $12.80 per hour
- Education administrators, preschool and child care center/program: $21.07 per hour
Source: Table 1. National employment and wage data from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey by occupation, May 2011. http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ocwage.t01.htm
What is the average mean annual salary for teachers and administrators in early childhood programs, kindergarten, and elementary schools?
- Child care workers: $21,320
- Preschool teachers (except special education): $30,150
- Kindergarten teachers (except special education): $52,350
- Elementary school teachers (except special education): $55,270
- Special education teachers in preschool, kindergarten, and elementary: $56,460
- Education administrators, preschool and child care center/program: $51,290
- Education administrators, elementary and secondary: $90,200
Source: Table 1. National employment and wage data from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey by occupation, May 2011. http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ocwage.t01.htm
How many states are building, implementing, or have implemented early childhood workforce registries?
- As of 2010, at least 32 states and additional counties or local areas are building, implementing, or have implemented early childhood workforce registries.
Source: The National Registry Alliance. http://www.registryalliance.org
How many states are implementing the Child Care WAGE$® Project?
- As of 2010, three states are implementing the Child Care WAGE$ Project: North Carolina, Florida, and Kansas.
Source: Child Care Services Association. http://www.childcareservices.org/ps/wage.html
How many states are implementing the TEACH® Early Childhood Project?
- 20 states are implementing the TEACH® Early Childhood Project in 2010.
Source: Child Care Services Association. http://www.childcareservices.org/ps/state_contacts.html
What professional development policies do states have in statutes, regulations, or executive orders?
- The NAEYC Early Childhood Workforce System Initiative's database of state policies provides state professional development policy examples.
