Good Jobs Challenge
The Good Jobs Challenge – Child Care was part of the Good Jobs Challenge, a national initiative, and focused on boosting the workforce in the child care industry.
Creating a thriving child care workforce
The pandemic highlighted Massachusetts’ ongoing crisis—a hiring shortage of child care educators, family child care businesses closing their doors, and low compensation across the field.
The Good Jobs Metro Boston Coalition Sectoral Partnership led the charge for a workforce pipeline system that met the recruitment, compensation, education, and retention needs of the child care workforce.
This work took place in Metropolitan Boston, led by The CAYL Institute in partnership with the City of Boston’s Office of Workforce Development.
What is a Good Job?
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) defines a “good job” as a paid position of regular employment that aligns with the Good Jobs Principles. The Good Jobs Principles include jobs that ensure all workers are paid a stable, predictable living wage; receive basic benefits (e.g., paid leave, health insurance, retirement/savings plan); have safe working conditions; have the ability to form and join unions and engage in protected, concerted activity without fear of retaliation; and have equitable opportunities and tools to progress to future good jobs.
Learn more at the EDA website.
500
New early childhood education teachers entering the workforce
200
Current teachers acquiring lead teacher qualifications
100
New family child care educators guided through opening a family child care business
50
Current family child care educators receiving additional business support
A Way Forward: Changing the Paradigm for Child Care Professionals
The results are in: the Good Jobs Challenge – Child Care exceeded its goals! This cross-sector partnership for child care – the only one in the US – demonstrated how to recruit, train or upskill, and employ over 1,030 individuals in Metropolitan Boston. Boston’s initiative, led by The CAYL Institute, tested a bold idea: treat child care as a priority industry, not just a support service.
Three final reports now share the evidence, outcomes, and lessons learned, offering insights to strengthen child care workforce development in your community.
Communities of Practice
The CAYL Institute launched Communities of Practice as part of the Good Jobs Challenge grant in February 2024.
Our Communities of Practice are spaces where, through topic-centric discussion, the group can begin mapping solutions to challenges inherent in hiring, training, and retaining teachers in the early childhood education sector.