It's not clear what works in early childhood educator preparation

Early childhood educators do crucially important, highly skilled work and deserve to be respected and compensated on a level commensurate with the value of their work. If we respect the value of early childhood educators as professionals, we should also hold high expectations for the programs that prepare them and ensure that those programs are a good use of their time and resources. But it’s not clear if the training programs currently available for early educators adequately prepares them. 

The research we do have suggests there is wide variation among preparation programs, but it does not provide the type of information that preparation programs need to improve the design and content of teacher preparation. 

This report outlines a research agenda to build the knowledge base around what works in early childhood educator preparation and catalyze evidence-based innovations, and makes the case for a policy environment in which both of these things are possible.

Full report