Introduction
Research Questions
- How many center-based workers served children ages 5 years and under, not yet in kindergarten in 2012 and 2019?
- What were the characteristics of workers in center-based classrooms serving children ages 5 years and under, not yet in kindergarten in 2012 and 2019?
- In what contexts did these individuals work in 2012 and 2019?
Early care and education (ECE) workers are vital to the care of young children in the United States. Their efforts also enable many parents to participate in the labor force. In this chartbook we describe the counts and percentage of workers in center-based ECE classrooms who oversee children ages 5 years and under, not yet in kindergarten, using data from the 2012 and 2019 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE). We also describe workers’ individual characteristics and information about the context in which they worked. In addition, we identify statistically significant changes in the distribution of these characteristics among the workforce in center-based classrooms between 2012 and 2019.
Purpose
This chartbook describes the center-based ECE workforce that educated children age five years and under, not yet in kindergarten in 2012 and 2019. The estimates are based on nationally representative data from the 2012 NSECE and 2019 NSECE.
Key Findings and Highlights
Key findings include:
- The number of teachers, lead teachers, assistants, or aides working in center-based classrooms serving children age 5 years and under, not yet in kindergarten increased substantially from 1 million in 2012 to 1.36 million in 2019.
- Regardless of their specific job titles, the vast majority of workers were classified as working either as teachers or lead teachers or as assistants or aides. The proportion of workers who were assistants or aides was just over one-third in 2012 and 2019.
- In for-profit centers, the number of teachers/lead teachers and the number of aides/assistants both increased from 2012 to 2019. In not-for-profit centers, the overall number of workers increased from 2012 to 2019, but the number of workers in each role did not show statistically significant differences. The numbers of workers in government-run centers were similar in 2012 and 2019.
- The number of workers with a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2012 (355,000) and 2019 (408,000) were not statistically different. However, the percentage of teachers and lead teachers with a bachelor’s degree or higher declined from 42% in 2012 to 35% in 2019. The percentage of aides/assistants with a bachelor’s degree or higher was not statistically different from 2012 to 2019.
- There was a significant increase in the number of educators serving children in mixed age classrooms (i.e., mixture of children under age 3 years and between age 3 and 5 years)-- 87,000 workers in 2012 versus 319,000 in 2019.
- In 2019, 41% of teachers/lead teachers and 60% of aides/assistants had neither a Child Development Associate (CDA) certificate or state certification or endorsement, with the remainder in each role having either (or both) a certification or CDA. The percentages of workers with neither certification nor CDA were similar in 2012 and 2019.
- In 2019, 43% of aides/assistants and 25% of teachers/lead teachers had 5 or fewer years of experience providing paid care to children under age 13. Lower percentages of workers in 2012 had 5 or fewer years of experience (32% of aides/assistants and 19% of teachers/lead teachers).
Methods
This chartbook draws from data collected in the 2012 and 2019 NSECE Center-based Workforce Surveys. The samples in each year comprised one or two classroom-assigned instructional staff members from each center-based provider that completed a Center-Based Provider Survey. Workforce respondents were sampled from the Center-Based Provider data, in which all staff members in a representative classroom had been enumerated. The representative classroom was selected at random from one of the age groups the center-based program reported serving. This chartbook focuses on center-based workforce members who were assigned to classrooms that served children age 5 years and under, not yet in kindergarten. Not all center-based providers in the NSECE have an associated workforce respondent. For this chartbook, 2012 tabulations use 4,832 workers. 2019 tabulations use data from 5,192 workers.
Citation
A R Datta, C Zapata-Gietl (2023). Workers in Center-based Early Care and Education Classrooms in 2012 and 2019: Counts and Characteristics. OPRE Report No. 2023-193, Washington DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Glossary
- Ages of Children Served:
- The age group that an individual staff member serves is defined by the classroom/group from which he or she was sampled in the Center-based Provider Survey. The classroom/group was randomly selected from all classrooms in the program. We define the age group that a worker serves based on the age group of the worker’s classroom as follows: under age 3 means all children in the classroom are reported to be no older than 36 months; 3 through 5 years old means the youngest child in the classroom is at least 36 months and at least one child is younger than 72 months, not yet in kindergarten; and serves both means a classroom where the youngest child is under age 3 while at least one child is between 36 and 72 months, not yet in kindergarten.
- Role:
- Each worker is classified as working as a teacher (including instructors and lead teachers) or as an assistant or aide. Respondents to the Center-based Provider Survey classified the workforce respondent’s role as a lead teacher or instructor, a teacher or instructor, an assistant teacher or instructor, or an aide, or something else. Classroom-assigned staff who could not be classified as teachers or assistants/aides were not sampled for the workforce survey. Workers were sampled from classrooms serving at least one child not yet in kindergarten. Thus, the Workforce Survey does not represent individuals working in such roles as specialists or who were not assigned to a classroom (such as cooks, drivers, or administrative assistants).
- Auspice:
- Respondents to the Center-based Provider Survey reported the center auspice of the organization that operates the center. These organizations may be not-for-profit, for-profit, or run by a government agency such as a public school district or a human services department. ‘Other’ includes combinations of these and uncodable responses. Center auspice does not necessarily indicate the types of revenues the center receives.