A leader in early childhood care and education

Each April, the National Association for the Education of Young Children celebrates Week of the Young Child, recognizing the importance of high-quality early childhood care and education (ECE) and advocating for the professionals that make it possible.

Rena Hallam, University of Delaware professor and interim dean of UD's College of Education and Human Development (CEHD), joins in this celebration each year, but takes her role as advocate seriously year-round. Parents and caregivers depend on ECE centers every day, and yet, ECE providers remain not only some of the lowest paid educators, but some of the lowest paid professionals across all occupations in the country - earning an average of only $13 per hour.

"The science is really clear about how important high-quality ECE is for children's development and learning, but we haven't spent enough attention on the ECE workforce," said Hallam, who studies state systems and policies that affect the quality of center-based and home-based ECE programs. "We can encourage ECE educators and administrators to do all of these things to produce a high-quality program, but they need to be able to earn a living wage, earn a degree and feel supported and successful in their careers."

Since 2023, Hallam has served as co-director of research for the nationally-funded, first-of-its-kind National ECE Workforce Center with CEHD's Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood. With a $30 million investment over five years from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the National ECE Workforce Center coordinates and provides technical assistance and rigorous research to advance the recruitment and retention of a diverse, qualified and supported ECE workforce.

"This investment in the National ECE Workforce Center marks the first time that the federal government has centered the ECE workforce and how we can improve the conditions of the workforce to improve early childhood education," Hallam said. "Unlike K-12 education, the labor market and the funds that support it are very fragmented and mostly paid for by parents. We're working to address the systemic challenges related to compensation, working conditions and career advancement."

With Hallam's leadership, the team has accomplished some major milestones. For example, the center has developed the ECE Workforce Systems Change Framework, a tool designed to support state and local leaders in driving meaningful policy change to improve ECE compensation, career advancement and working conditions.

"In the framework, we outline the processes to drive policy change in state and local communities," Hallam said. "We focus on increasing compensation for the early childhood workforce, which includes earning a living wage and also accessing health care and retirement benefits."