According to these reliable sources, the answer to our headline query is “yes”!
Reaseach.com: “Early Childhood Education is an in-demand industry sector with job openings projected to grow steadily over the decade.”
Center for American Progress: “Early Childhood Education is in high demand, with employment projected to grow 8% to 13% over the decade, though the field faces critical staffing shortages.”
This industry trend appears to represent the classic economic theory of supply-and-demand., i.e., demand is high for ECE professionals, because—for the lack of one key growth factor or another—supply is low.
There is a solution on the horizon, currently in 15 States that include ECE-related occupations in their Workforce Pell funding frameworks. According to the National ECE Workforce Center, “To qualify for Workforce Pell Grants, ECE must be recognized by a state as a “high-skill,” “high-wage,” or “in-demand” sector or occupation that significantly impacts the regional economy and supports the growth of other industries.
Three of the 15 states with potential impact for KRA Career Services related to Workforce Pell ECE funding include:
- Maryland is using “high-skill” as the basis for including Education and Childcare Administrators and Special Education Teachers (Preschool), and a combined high-skill and high-demand designation to include Preschool Teachers;
- Nevada designates Child Care Workers, Education and Childcare Administrators, Special Education Teachers (Preschool), Preschool Teachers, and Teaching Assistants as “in-demand;” and
- Ohio is including Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool Teachers, Special Education Teachers (Preschool), Child Care Workers, and Teaching Assistants by designating them “critical” on the state’s “top jobs” list—Ohio’s version of the demand-based criteria.
KRA believes a growing workforce requires reliable comprehensive childcare services provided by trained ECE professions. Without it, communities cannot effectively recruit or retain the employers or workers needed to support other high-growth sectors. For other industries to thrive, childcare is needed as an underlying part of the infrastructure.
As a One-Stop and WIOA Program Operator in these states, at the direction of our clients, KRA can coordinate with Eligible Training Providers, educational institutions, and appropriate state agencies to support interested jobseekers in navigating access to ECE training through WIOA/ITA, Workforce Pell, or both.
For additional background on Workforce Pell requirements and the ECE field, read:
How States Can Use Workforce Pell to Address ECE Workforce Shortages | Child Trends
Workforce Pell and the Early Care and Education Sector
Skilled Early Childhood Educators Are in High Demand
For information on Workforce Pell Grants and Registered Apprenticeships, read Charting a Course for Workforce Pell (Parts 1 and 2) – KRA Corporation