Recovery and Essential Workers: A Look into the Early Childhood Workforce

Early childhood professionals play an essential role in communities, helping young children to develop, supporting working families, and enabling business operations.  While affordable and high-quality childcare is critical, the early childcare sector is underfunded and dysfunctional, and the workers at the frontlines of the system often experience inequities, low pay and no benefits and lack of opportunities to advance. COVID-19 has exacerbated longstanding issues, exacting a devastating impact on childcare centers and the professionals that staff them. 

In this program, we will hear more about the issues impacting the early childhood workforce at the individual, employer, and systems levels. We will explore the role of employer collaboration with funders and other stakeholders to advance necessary changes in business practices and public policies to support these essential workers.

This event is co-hosted by the Prenatal to 5 Affinity Group, the Greater Washington Workforce Collaborative, and the Baltimore Workforce Funders Collaborative.

Our speakers will include:

• Abby Copeman Petig, Research Director, UC Berkeley Center for the Study of Child Care Employment 
• Bryan Stokes, Chief of Early Learning at Chicago Public Schools, Representing Chicago Early Childhood Workforce Partnership
• Randi Wolfe, Executive Director, Early Care & Education Pathways to Success

The program is for Maryland Philanthropy Network members, members of the Greater Washington Workforce Collaborative, and invited guests.