In June 2022, the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) announced a new child care apprenticeship program to address a workforce shortage in the industry. To build a pipeline of skilled teachers, the TWC was awarded three grants totaling $793,401 to create two new early childhood apprenticeship programs and expand one existing program. The grants expand the Camp Fire First Texas program in Tarrant County, create a new program at Dallas College, and create another new program at the Heart of Texas Workforce Development Board, Inc. in Waco. The apprenticeship programs train teachers while offering full-time and paid positions. The grants also assist apprentices who have completed the Registered Apprenticeship Program by transferring their completion certificate into college credit hours, putting them within three to five classes of earning an associate degree. Learn More: Texas Workforce Commission Sources: Texas Workforce Commission. (n.d.). Child Care & Early Learning Services - Program Overview. Texas Workforce Commission. (2022). TWC Awards Grants to Develop Child Care Apprenticeship Programs.

Established in 2021, the Pilot Early Childhood & Special Education Apprenticeship Program in San Francisco is a formal partnership between the City College of San Francisco Child Development and Family Studies Department and San Francisco Unified School District. Apprentices begin as an Early Childhood Teaching Assistant, a Transitional Kindergarten Teaching Assistant or a Special Education Paraprofessional working in pre-K and kindergarten classrooms. All programs include training in special education. The apprenticeship has two tracks that each last up to 34 months, and both lead to an Early Childhood Teaching Permit. The program provides 2,000 hours of on-the-job training, and participants can take courses at City College of San Francisco. The program receives $800,000 in funding from the Strong Workforce Program. Learn More: City College of San Francisco Early Childhood & Special Education Apprenticeship Sources: City College of San Francisco. (n.d.). Early Childhood & Special Education Apprenticeship. City College of San Francisco. (n.d.). Strong Workforce Program Strategic Plan 2020-2023

Maine Governor Janet T. Mills, supported by the Maine Legislature and authorized by the University of Maine System Board of Trustees, invested a share of federal American Rescue Plan relief funds in an early education training program in partnership with the University of Maine at Farmington. To help develop and retain early education professionals, UMF is renovating a former call center into a center for its nationally accredited Sweatt-Winter Child Care and Early Education Center. The Center is expected to open in the summer of 2023 as a state-of-the-art child care and academic facility to train more skilled child care staff to enter and stay in the workforce. Previously, the Sweatt-Winter expansion project received $1.4 million from a bond for UMaine System workforce development infrastructure approved by voters statewide in 2018. The Lennox Foundation also contributed $100,000. Learn more: University of Maine Early Childhood Special Education Sources: University of Maine Farmington. (n.d.). Early Childhood Special Education. State of Maine Office of Governor Janet T. Mills. (2022). At University of Maine Farmington, Governor Mills Highlights Investments to Expand Child Care in Maine, Increase Pay for Child Care Workers.

The Vermont Child Care Apprenticeship Program enables participants to obtain a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential while completing six to seven college courses required for the registered apprenticeship. The VT Early Childhood Career Ladder includes a level dedicated to both the CDA and the registered apprenticeship. With the college courses, the program includes 27 hours of community-based training specifically designed for Early Childhood Educators (ECEs). Employers select teachers who can potentially become apprentices, as well as qualified mentors within the same program. The apprenticeship focuses on developing competency through on-the-job learning and uses the Vermont Child Care Industry and Careers Council's Daily Activities Assessment Tool, which aligns with Vermont's Early Childhood Core Knowledge and Competencies, Vermont Child Care Licensing Regulations, CDA Functional Areas, and NAEYC best practices to evaluate learning progress. The VT Child Development Division provides funding for the Apprenticeship Program through funds allocated from the Child Care & Development Block Grant. Funding comes through the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood VERMONT program, which pays for 100% of tuition and books, provides an access stipend each semester, provides a $400 contract completion bonus for apprentices, and provides counseling and administrative support for the program. Funding for T.E.A.C.H. Vermont comes from State of Vermont Child Development Division (funds from state and federal levels), the A.D. Henderson Foundation for startup funds, and ECE programs that co-sponsor a T.E.A.C.H. scholarship recipient. Learn More: Vermont ECE Apprenticeship Program. Sources: Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children. (n.d.). VT ECE Apprenticeship Program. National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching, and Learning. (n.d.). Early Childhood Education Apprenticeships. Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children. (n.d.). Apprenticeship Model. Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children. (n.d.). Our Programs.

Created in 2011, Utah Department of Health and Human Services’ (DHHS) Early Childhood Integrated Data System functions to store and integrate data from the state’s early childhood programs, services, and systems. The system provides demographic, program, and individual data on a variety of services, including the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, Baby Watch Early Intervention Program, Child Care Subsidy, Head Start - Centro de la Familia de Utah, Vital Statistics Birth Registry, Vital Statistics Death Registry, Women Infants and Children. The system is governed by the ECIDS Data Policy Committee, which consists of members that have entered into a data-sharing agreement with DHHS (e.g., The Early Childhood Data Collaborative, Utah Head Start Association, Utah State Board of Education, Office of Home Visiting, etc.). The private individual level data is matched and deidentified Master Person Indices (MPIs) and every individual is given a unique identifier. Utah ECIDS helps to identify and evaluate long-term outcomes attributed to early childhood investments. The system also provides a “community assessment tool,” which was developed in partnership with ECDataWorks to equip local leaders with demographic and program information on early childhood Eligibility, Access, Services, and Impact. The system is funded by Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems grant, Child Care Development Funds, Kellogg Foundation through UPenn’s ECDataWorks, Heising-Simons through Child Trend’s SHINE project and Utah Department of Education. Learn More: Utah's Early Childhood Integrated Data System Other Sources:Zero to Three. (2018). The Utah Early Childhood Statewide Data Integration Project.

In July 2020, Governor Ralph Northam signed SB578/HB1012 to give Virginia’s Board of Education (BOE) and Department of Education (DOE) joint responsibility for overseeing and administering early care and education across the state. This created a defined point of accountability and coordination for early education programs effective July 1, 2021. Under this arrangement, the Department of Education became responsible for child care licensing and administration of the state's child care subsidy program. Moving all early childhood programming to one agency improves efficiency and allows for better alignment of eligibility, monitoring, and quality improvement activities (Bipartisan Policy Center, 2023). Learn More: Virginia Department of Education Sources:Virginia Department of Education (2020). Child Care and Development Fund Plan for Virginia.Early Childhood Care & Education | Virginia Department of Education Bipartisan Policy Center (2023). Integrated Efficient Early Care and Education Systems

Launched in 2016, Vermont’s Universal Prekindergarten program offers a minimum of 10 hours per week (35 weeks/year) of publicly funded prekindergarten for 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds (if they are not yet eligible for kindergarten). In April 2023, the Vermont General Assembly passed Bill S.56, which spelled out a multipronged effort to expand prekindergarten across the state. This effort includes a study of prekindergarten education, expanding eligibility for the Child Care Financial Assistance Program, and increasing the rate the State pays ECE providers. As of 2022, Vermont's Universal Prekindergarten Program served 65% of 4-year-olds and 35% of 3-year-olds. Learn More: Vermont Universal Prekindergarten Sources:Vermont Legislative Joint Fiscal Office. (2023). S.56 – An act relating to child care and early childhood education.State of Vermont Agency of Education. (n.d.). Universal Prekindergarten: Act 166.National Institute for Early Education Research. (2023). Vermont.State of Vermont Agency of Education. (2019). Prekindergarten Education Study: Final Report.

Founded in 2009, Virginia’s Department of Education’s Virginia Longitudinal Data System (VLDS ) is a P-20 longitudinal data system that includes pre-K screening data and early childhood program data. The federated system (i.e., a data sharing system that does not consolidate all data in one warehouse) was developed with the Virginia Institute of Technology to merge demographic, program, and individual data while leaving private data inside agencies’ firewalls. The individual data is deidentified with a unique identifier. Although the VLDS has a research agenda and series of papers, data is only available internally for use by agencies, including the Virginia Department of Education, Department of Social Services, and Office of Children’s Services, or approved researchers. The system is funded through federal Statewide Longitudinal Data System grants. Learn More: Virginia Longitudinal Data System Sources:VCU Performance Management Group. (2021). Virginia Longitudinal Data System Research Agenda.LiBetti, A. & Fu, R. (2022). A State Scan of Early Learning Assessments and Data Systems. New America.

Since 2007, Washington State’s Office of Financial Management’s Education Research & Data Center (ERDC) has hosted the state’s P-20 longitudinal data system, which includes data on preschool programs and early intervention services. The system functions as a warehouse and identity-matching process across state agencies, including the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) and the State Board of Education. It links demographic, program, and individual data ranging from early childhood education and care to K-12/higher education to the workforce. The individual data is deidentified with a unique identifier to create cross-sector data sets. Data is available by request for authorized users. The ERCD can create data files, analyze data, conduct cross-sector research, and support data collections. The system began in 2007 with the founding of the Governor’s P-20 council and further defined through legislation (RCW 43.41.400). The system expanded in 2009 and is funded by federal grants, including Statewide Longitudinal Data System grant and American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grant. Learn More: Washington Education Research and Data Center Other Sources:Education Research and Data Center (2014). Early Childhood Program Participation and K-12 Outcomes.Washington State Legislature (n.d.). RCW 43.41.400: Education data center.

In 2010, the Washington State Legislature created the Washington Opportunity Pathways Account, ensuring that lottery revenue would support education, from early childhood through college. One part of the account funds the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP); ECEAP provides programming for children ages 0-5 whose parents meet eligibility requirements. In fiscal year 2022, the lottery contributed $40 million to the ECEAP program. Learn More: Washington's Lottery: Who Benefits? Source:Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families. (n.d.). ECEAP & Head Start.

In 2017, Governor Jay Inslee signed House Bill 1661, creating the Washington Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). DCYF oversees several services previously offered through the departments of Social and Health Services (DSHS) and the Early Learning (DEL). These include all programs from the Children’s Administration in DSHS such as Child Protective Services’ Investigations and Family Assessment Response, licensed foster care, and adoption support. Also included are all DEL services, such as the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program for preschoolers, Working Connections Child Care, and Home Visiting. Learn more: Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families Source:Washington State Blue Ribbon Commission Final Report (November 8, 2016). Improving the Well-Being of Washington State’s Children, Youth and Families.

Established in 1989, the West Virginia Registered Apprenticeship for Child Development Specialist (ACDS) program holds the distinction of being the longest-running apprenticeship program in early childhood education nationwide. A Registered Apprenticeship Program, ACDS is a partnership among the United States Department of Labor, River Valley Child Development Services, and early childhood programs throughout the state. ACDS involves 300 hours of instructional training and requires apprentices to complete between 3,200 and 4,000 hours of on-the-job training. It covers four semesters and follows a curriculum specifically designed for ACDS, with each semester focusing on a specific age group (infant, toddler, preschool, and school-age). The ACDS Curriculum is taught by certified instructors who meet program-specific criteria, including holding at least a bachelor's degree in early childhood or a related field and possessing direct experience in working with young children. Instructors must renew their teaching credentials for ACDS every two years. Once they have completed the program, participants can apply coursework from the ACDS program toward college credits at most West Virginia community colleges. Employers are obligated to sign an agreement stipulating the raise they will provide to the employees upon completion of the program, although the amount may vary between programs. The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources/BCF/Early Care and Education Division is the major source of funding for the program, which is administered by West Virginia Early Childhood Training Connections and Resources, a program of River Valley Child Development Services. Learn More: West Virginia Apprenticeship Source: West Virginia Apprenticeship for Child Development Specialist. (n.d.). National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching, and Learning. (n.d.). Early Childhood Education Apprenticeships.