Early Childhood Education Workforce Transformation Initiative (ECEWTI) is a partnership of Delaware Valley Association for the Education of Young Children (DVAEYC), Montgomery Early Learning Centers (MELC), and Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) to study the early childhood education sector and develop strategies that will result in a larger, more skilled, and more stable workforce. ECEWTI is supported by a generous grant from the William Penn Foundation.

Governor Tom Wolf is working to expand pre-K in Pennsylvania, and Mayor Jim Kenney is working to expand pre-K in Philadelphia. These initiatives will create thousands of new jobs, but our current workforce is unprepared to meet the need for the new jobs created – the shortage of certified teachers could limit the intended benefits of pre-K. The workforce strategies proposed by ECEWTI are vital to ensure the region is ready and able to provide quality early childhood education for the children and families.

At the March 31st event, ECEWTI shared data and key findings, discussed key issues and strategies to enhance the ECE workforce, and moderated a panel of local and national experts to discuss pressing ECE workforce issues.

Read the news release for the event and the preliminary report.