Several decades of research have established the benefits of high-quality early care and education (ECE) to children's short and longer-term social-emotional and academic outcomes. Early educators are considered "the single most important factor" in high-quality ECE. Yet despite the fact that early educators' jobs have expanded in recent years, the professional qualifications required, the compensation that they receive, and the environments in which they work, often do not adequately reflect the professional nature of their job or the complexity of the work. If ECE is to live up to its promises of narrowing the achievement gap and preparing children for elementary school and beyond, it is critical to elevate the profession.
