Exploring Early Childhood Career Pathways and Trajectories
The research aims to explore the diverse roles within the early childhood (EC) field, examining the requirements for entry, career trajectories, and reasons why individuals either remain in or leave the profession. It seeks to identify the education, experience, professional development, and competencies associated with various roles and the typical tasks, compensation, benefits, and “day-in-the-life” experiences tied to each position. Additionally, the study will investigate how employees discover career opportunities and navigate advancement while analyzing patterns that may lead to more fulfilling and sustained participation in the EC field. These patterns will be evaluated to determine whether they are already reflected in established pathways or support systems and how they vary by role, sector, or demographic characteristics. We will gather this information by having participants complete a survey and interview.
The research also aims to explore the motivations driving individuals to work in early childhood roles, exploring whether these motivations differ across roles and career stages and what attracts people to the field. It examines how specific roles are aligned with attributes such as community orientation, service-mindedness, economic self-sufficiency, entrepreneurial ambition, competency focus, or constrained opportunities. Furthermore, the study will assess occupational, job, and life satisfaction among EC workers, analyzing how motivation and roles intersect with these dimensions and distinguishing between job-specific, role-based, and career-wide satisfaction.
Barriers to entry and sustained employment will be explored alongside preferred or chosen career paths. Lastly, the research will investigate the systems-level, educational, occupational, and job-specific supports that promote satisfaction and retention. It will examine potential changes to EC supports that could improve recruitment, alignment of roles with individual pathways, and longevity within the profession.
CLI Faculty:
Kelly Vaughn, Ph.D., April Crawford, Ph.D., Cheryl Varghese, Ph.D.Principal Investigator:
April Crawford, Ph.D.Co-Investigator:
Kelly Vaughn, Ph.D.Participating Sites:
The Children’s Learning Institute