The City of Hartford, CT recognizes that a well-prepared, stable early childhood workforce is the foundation of quality early learning experiences. As the first municipality in Connecticut to establish a dedicated early childhood division, the city has consistently prioritized workforce development as a key element of its comprehensive approach to supporting young children and families. Through strategic partnerships, innovative support systems and responsive programming, the City of Hartford has maintained a steadfast focus on building professional capacity among educators who serve the city’s youngest and most vulnerable residents, understanding that the quality of early learning experiences directly impacts children’s long-term outcomes.
The City of Hartford’s workforce development strategies reflect a sophisticated understanding of the complex challenges facing early childhood educators. The city has taken a deliberate approach to meeting teacher credential requirements, understanding that appropriate support structures must be in place before accountability can be effective. This philosophy acknowledges the economic realities facing many educators, particularly those from underrepresented communities, and seeks to remove barriers to professional advancement through targeted financial supports, accessible training opportunities and individualized coaching. Through initiatives like its collaboration with Capital Community College, which provided tuition and textbook support for over 100 non-degreed early childhood professionals to attend credit-bearing courses, the City of Hartford demonstrates its commitment to creating viable career pathways in the field.
“For the City of Hartford, this work starts way before someone decides to take the early childhood job. We ask: What is our relationship to high schools, colleges, and universities; How do we provide educational opportunities or internship placements for those studying early childhood; What type of experiences should a potential childcare worker have before they even take a job in this field? Just like we think about children from a developmental perspective, we think about professional development from a developmental perspective.”
Here’s What They Did
In 2018, the Mayor’s Cabinet for Young Children conducted a comprehensive workforce survey focused on educators and administrators serving children from birth to eight years old. With 277 respondents, this survey provided crucial insights that continue to inform the City of Hartford’s workforce development strategies. Key findings revealed that while professional development is highly valued by both workers and administrators, significant challenges remain in the field. These include finding qualified substitutes, addressing attendance issues, combating low wages and confronting a misaligned workforce pipeline as current teachers retire or leave. Perhaps most notably, the survey highlighted a demographic mismatch between educators and the children they serve. This data-driven approach has allowed the City of Hartford to target its workforce initiatives to address the most pressing needs identified by the community.
The City of Hartford’s Staffed Family Child Care Network demonstrates the city’s innovative approach to workforce support. Recognizing that the informal early childhood workforce is essential to the community, the City of Hartford created a network that provides resources to improve both the quality of care and the sustainability of their operations. The network offers support to providers taking the initial step to establish a family child care home, along with training, professional development and individualized business support. This approach not only improves care quality but also creates a stable and professional early childhood workforce pipeline that can continue to serve families effectively while supporting the economic development of the city.
Your Next Steps for Getting Started
- In partnership with the agencies that support and employ the workforce, map the existing early childhood workforce in your community, including setting, demographics, qualifications and needs. Understanding who makes up your workforce provides critical insights for targeted support strategies.
- Identify key partners, including higher education institutions, state and county offices of early childhood and workforce boards. Building these relationships early creates opportunities for aligned credential pathways and funding.
- Develop a comprehensive professional development system with multiple entry points. Create financial incentives and support for credential attainment. Scholarships, wage supplements and release time can make professional development accessible. Consider developing a graduated compensation scale tied to credential levels.
- Establish mentoring programs for new educators to improve retention. Pairing experienced educators with newcomers provides crucial support. Structure regular check-ins to make the mentoring relationship meaningful.
Helpful Tips for Ongoing Success
- Focus on both education credentials and business skills, including for home-based providers. Offering business training can improve both the quality and sustainability of the early childhood workforce.
- Collect and use data to continuously improve workforce support programs. Regular assessment helps identify what’s working and what needs adjustment. Create feedback loops where providers can share their experiences with program implementation.
- Consider the entire workforce pipeline, from recruitment to retirement. A comprehensive approach addresses challenges at every career stage.
- Ensure professional development is accessible, relevant and culturally responsive. Offering training at various times, locations and in multiple languages removes barriers to participation.
- Address compensation issues through creative funding mechanisms. Low wages drive turnover and affect quality of care. Explore public-private partnerships, tax incentives and shared services models to improve compensation.
Explore the ‘Decades in the Making’ Early Childhood Toolkit
What happens when a local government chooses to prioritize young children, their families and the early childhood workforce for years at a time? That’s the question this new toolkit answers. Explore it to get practical insights and clear next steps to begin implementing proving policy wins in your community.
From the Event: Decades in the Making: How Four Cities Are Creating Lasting Early Childhood Impact
Prenatal-to-Three Impact Lab
Understanding City Hall’s Role in Maternal Mental Health
- Lara Burt
How a Federal Funding Freeze Impacts Afterschool and Summer Learning Programs
- Brandis Stockman
- Stephanie Martinez-Ruckman
How Connecting Children to Nature Can Help Small Cities Achieve Their Goals
- Andrew Moore
- Vera Feeny
How City Leaders Can Support the Mental Health of LGBTQIA+ Teens
- Sarah Weller-Pegna, MPH