Child Care in Crisis: How the Pandemic Is Changing the Lives of Early Childhood Education Professionals

The coronavirus pandemic pushed the already vulnerable early childhood education workforce into crisis. The emotional, financial and physical stress on early childhood educators is incalculable. Many programs faced declining enrollment and closures, while educators had to navigate job insecurity, health risks and personal challenges.

Over the course of ten months, EdSurge documented the impact of the pandemic on early childhood educators, exploring how program leaders, philanthropic organizations, government, businesses and—crucially—educators themselves have addressed these challenges. These stories highlight the experiences and elevate the voices of early childhood education professionals.

Early Learning

What We Heard From Early Childhood Educators During the Pandemic Year

In February, Philadelphia-based early childhood educator Adrienne Briggs found herself in a quandary. Partially in response to the ongoing COVID-19 ...

By Rachel Burstein

Early Learning

How Did State-Funded Preschools Respond to the Pandemic? Special Report Offers a Glimpse

Early Learning

‘Little Band-Aids’ Won’t Fix the Child Care Industry. New Report Proposes an Overhaul.

Early Learning

The Pandemic Has Compounded the Turnover Problem in Early Childhood Education

Coronavirus

Hailed as ‘Heroes,’ Child Care Workers in Some States Are Denied Vaccine Priority

Workforce Training

With the Pandemic Shining New Light on Early Childhood Educators, Proponents Look to ‘Radical’ Changes

Early Learning

Distanced Play. No Hugs. How Everyday Child Care Routines Are Changing.

Early Learning

As the Pandemic Drags On, Child Care Providers Fight to Keep Their Doors Open

Early Learning

Child Care Is in Crisis. We’ll Be Here to Cover It During the Turbulent Year Ahead.

Oral History

Early Learning

An Oral History of Early Childhood Educators During the Pandemic

By Rachel Burstein

Feature

From December 2020 to May 2021, we followed a cohort of early childhood educators from across the country. The cohort is composed of women who work in a variety of roles and settings. Through monthly interviews and surveys, we learned in deeply personal terms what it looks like to teach young learners, engage with families, run businesses and manage personal and professional stress during the pandemic.

Research on Our Radar

Over the course of this project, we've been collecting research and reports on the experience of early childhood educators during the pandemic. Below are a few of our favorite resources.

Child Care, Unfiltered: What SoCal Early Care And Education Really Looks Like | LAist
Early Childhood Workforce Index 2020 | Caitlin McLean, Lea J. E. Austin, Marcy Whitebook, and Krista L. Olson | Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, University of California, Berkeley
Broader, Deeper, Fairer: Five Strategies to Radically Expand the Talent Pool in Early Education | Cody Kornack and Ashely LiBetti | National Head Start Association, HeadStarter Network, and Bellwether Education Partners

View other resources here.

This EdSurge Research series is made publicly available with support from Imaginable Futures, a venture of The Omidyar Group. All stories are editorially independent. (Read our ethics statement here.) This work is licensed under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

Special thanks to Apple Tree Institute (D.C.), Beary Cherry Tree (La.), Chris Nelson’s home-based child care program (Vt.), Happy Day Preschool (Idaho), Lil’ Bits Family Child Care Home (Pa.), Noah’s Art Preschool Academy (Ga.) and The Learning Path Preschool (N.J.), for contributing children’s original artwork for the above compilation.

Learn more about EdSurge operations, ethics and policies here. Learn more about EdSurge supporters here.

Child Care in Crisis: How the Pandemic Is Changing the Lives of Early Childhood Education Professionals

Early Learning

What We Heard From Early Childhood Educators During the Pandemic Year

Early Learning

How Did State-Funded Preschools Respond to the Pandemic? Special Report Offers a Glimpse

Early Learning

‘Little Band-Aids’ Won’t Fix the Child Care Industry. New Report Proposes an Overhaul.

Early Learning

The Pandemic Has Compounded the Turnover Problem in Early Childhood Education

Coronavirus

Hailed as ‘Heroes,’ Child Care Workers in Some States Are Denied Vaccine Priority

Workforce Training

With the Pandemic Shining New Light on Early Childhood Educators, Proponents Look to ‘Radical’ Changes

Early Learning

Distanced Play. No Hugs. How Everyday Child Care Routines Are Changing.

Early Learning

As the Pandemic Drags On, Child Care Providers Fight to Keep Their Doors Open

Early Learning

Child Care Is in Crisis. We’ll Be Here to Cover It During the Turbulent Year Ahead.

Oral History

Early Learning

An Oral History of Early Childhood Educators During the Pandemic

More on Early Childhood Education From EdSurge

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Higher Education

Can Colleges Help Early Childhood Teachers Go Back to School?

Early Learning

The Unintended Consequences of Universal Preschool

Investors

What Investors See in a ‘Highly Fragmented and Under-Teched’ Early Childhood Education Market

Artificial Intelligence

When the Animated Bunny in the TV Show Listens for Kids’ Answers — and Answers Back

Early Learning

Can You Provide a Quality Preschool Education Over Zoom?

Early Learning

University Scholars Plant Seeds In a New Field of Study: Early Childhood Policy

Policy and Government

Among the Winners of the 2020 Election: Universal Preschool

Financing

How a $40M Investment Aims to ‘Mainstream and Modernize’ Montessori Education

Research on Our Radar

View other resources here.

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