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The early care and education (ECE) workforce plays a critical role in promoting children’s learning — especially through their interactions with children and through the enriching and nurturing learning environments they shape.

The well-being of early care and education (ECE) professionals and those they serve should be at the forefront of the response to COVID-19. The following COVID-19 resources contribute to a shared understanding of how to support the growing economic, health, and social-emotional needs of the ECE workforce and of young children and their families.

The second edition of this biennial report provides a comprehensive update on the progress made by States to improve Early Care and Education workforce conditions and policies since the inaugural edition in 2016.

This full report discusses the implications of child developmental science for early care and education professionals in terms of necessary competencies and practices, as well as the systems change needed to better support the preparation, competency, professional development, and compensation for the early care and education workforce.

This full report represents the first effort to establish a baseline description of early childhood employment conditions and policies on a state-by-state basis in order strengthen supports for the early care and education workforce.