In this important new book, Sharon Lynn Kagan and her colleagues focus on the nearly 5 million individuals who have the responsibility of caring for and educating nearly two thirds of the American children under age 5 who spend time in nonparental care. Providing the most thorough synthesis of current research on the early care and education teaching workforce to date, the authors address frequently asked questions about teacher quality, teacher effectiveness, and the professional development necessary to achieve both and call for a series of bold changes that would transform the early care and education workforce. Featuring the voices of teachers, parents, and policymakers, vignettes help us understand the various layers involved in early care and education.

Book Features:

• Practical—guided by research, offers common-sense recommendations to better prepare, recruit, retain, and adequately compensate early care and education teachers.
• Current—synthesizes hundreds of articles and studies to provide the most up-to-date review of the research.
• Comprehensive—places the issues in a system-based context to examine the entire early care and education workforce in all settings.

Sharon Lynn Kagan is the Virginia and Leonard Marx Professor of Early Childhood and Family Policy, Co-Director of the National Center for Children and Families, and Associate Dean for Policy at Teachers College, Columbia University. Kristie Kauerz is the Early Childhood/P-3 Policy Director for Colorado Lieutenant Governor Barbara O’Brien. Kate Tarrant is a doctoral student at Teachers College, Columbia University.