Lessons for Early Education. Policy Brief.

This policy brief examines programs from California and elsewhere in the United States for attracting and retaining quality preschool and child-care staff and places these programs within the broader context of K-12 reforms. While this brief is specifically aimed at early-childhood-education planners and policymakers, it contains information for educators at all levels about experimental efforts and lessons on systemwide reform. The brief reviews the evidence on the scope and effectiveness of existing K-12 recruitment ' and retention policy strategies in the United States to determine those that may be transferable to early education. It begins with a broad review of what is known about these state initiatives. It then provides detailed examples and analyses for each program area from education nonprofit and research centers. It then reviews the evidence to determine the variety and effectiveness of existing programs. Few of the programs highlighted have been formally evaluated, and fewer still have collected data on cost