Advancing ECE Workforce Compensation and Equity: Key Conditions for a National Lead Teacher Certification

This national study of more than 4400 stakeholders in early childhood education (ECE) indicates a strong demand for addressing compensation and equity issues in the field as first steps toward a national lead teacher certification (NLTC).Compensation. Interviewees believed that addressing compensation concerns for all early childhood educators was necessary not only to facilitate the conditions for an eventual NLTC, but also to tackle existing inequities within the field. The low perceived value of a certification without accompanying assurances of increased compensation and other benefits was also raised. Equity. Nearly all participants expressed concerns related to equity, particularly regarding equitable access, support and outcomes associated with an NLTC. Stakeholders raised questions about the potential effects of an NLTC in a field characterized by systemic racism and existing structural barriers.