Area 6: Quality Workforce Development

Champions

• Executive Office on Early Learning

• Hawaiʻi Association for the Education of Young Children

• Kaulanakilohana

Actions

• Needs Assessment

  • Conduct a needs assessment to identify career and education needs in Hawaiʻiʻs early childhood education field

• Pathways

  • Develop comprehensive career pathways in alignment with validated employer requirements, professional standards and competencies, and communicate visually in a map of career pathways

  • Create a website access career pathways and map

  • Create a system that provides incentives for early care and education workforce to pursue continuing education opportunities

• Preparation

  • Utilize Hawaiʻi’s framework for early care and education practitioners and establish a system of credentialing

  • Create more early care and education professional learning opportunities across the state

Indicators of Success

• Crosswalk of employment requirements is completed and distributed

• Clearly defined pathways exist for all public and private settings

• Long-term: Number of qualified applicants has increased

• Long-term: Recruitment and retention rates have increased

• Long-term: State policy changes are enacted to support alignment with National Professional Standards and Qualifications

Champions

• Hawaiʻi Careers for Young Children

• Kaulanakilohana

Actions

• Develop a capacity building plan for needed trainers and higher education faculty positions

• Create a system of mentoring and coaching embedded in coursework and in the field

• Review, revise, and expand a database and clearinghouse of trainings (credit and non-credit)

• Establish a trainer approval system

• Create community-based hubs with support services and professional opportunities

Indicators of Success

• Database of trainers and clearinghouse of trainings are accessible via a website

• Long-term: A wide array of public and private sector professional development opportunities is available statewide

Champions

• Early Childhood Action Strategy

• Executive Office on Early Learning

Actions

• Public Policy

  • Develop policy agenda and implement policy changes to support early care and education workforce around a mixed delivery system

• Compensation

  • Strengthen and increase compensation packages and benefits for the early care and education workforce

• Public Will

  • Increase public awareness and education about the significance and importance of high-quality early care and education and the need for more early care and education professionals through a targeted recruitment campaign

Indicators of Success

• 1-2 business partners are engaged in public awareness and education campaign

• Long-term: Mechanisms for incentives that increase compensation for early care and education workforce are established

• Long-term: Higher retention of the early care and education workforce exists

Size and Composition

2004-2019

• 97% female

• 2018 workforce size: 4,260; pre-Great Recession peak was 5,550; the greatest workforce loss was among preschool teachers and administrators

• Based on number of working parents, 9,000 providers required

2020

• No significant change to size and composition from 2004-2019

Recommendations

• Determine the number of workers required for a strong workforce

• Identify workforce recruitment supports for underserved communities

• Access how workforce capacity impacts size and composition of quality early care and education programs

Compensation

2004-2019

• Low pay commonly cited for teacher shortage; median annual income: child care workers, $26,090; preschool teachers, $38,840; administrators, $54,210 (self-sufficiency for one adult with a preschool aged child is $56,000/yr.)

2020

• Families want a workforce that is passionate about educating young children, academically and socially

• Single greatest challenge to workforce development is lack of competitive compensation and benefits to attract and retain well-qualified workforce

Recommendations

• Advocate for minimum wage increase which correlates to improved compensation in this workforce

Education and Professional Development

2004-2019

• 58% of center-based lead teachers have four-year degree or higher; 67% have either a two-year or four-year degree in early childhood

• 25% of family child care providers have no college experience

• Eight early childhood education higher education programs in Hawaiʻi; degree costs $14,000-$20,000+/yr.

2020

• Lack of alignment among workforce preparation standards

• Statewide investment in preparation programs has not been significant, including financial support for students; additionally, the training pipeline for positions that provide specialized services is insufficient

• Educational pathway is fragmented and unavailable statewide

Recommendations

• Align and update to national standards and competencies for early childhood educators

• Update minimum educational standards for early care and education positions

• Develop coherent and comprehensive career pathways for educators delivering quality early care and education services