Influencing ECE Policy and Practice
The persistent challenges facing the ECE workforce (e.g., fragmented systems, chronic underinvestment) cannot be solved by apprenticeship alone. Therefore, ECEPTS engages in systems change work, focusing on three key areas.
Economic Well-Being
Advocate for sustainable public funding of the ECE industry and compensation parity with PreK–12 teachers.
Professional Development
Encourage the development of systems and credentials that recognize early educators’ experience and expertise.
Public and Political Awareness
Elevate investment in apprenticeship and professional development as essential to addressing the ECE workforce shortage.
Conference Presentations
ECEPTS presents at education and workforce conferences to influence the national conversation and policies around ECE workforce development, utilizing the apprenticeship model, and systemic barriers to expansion.
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2026 Apprenticeships for America National Summit (Washington, DC)
Presented a model for developing apprenticeship programs that consider the strengths and challenges of engaging a diverse workforce.
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2025 National Convening of the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (Austin, TX)
Focused on the benefits cross-system collaboration to align ECE and K-12 apprenticeship strategies and the systemic challenges involved in doing so.
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2025 Annual Meeting of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (Long Beach, CA)
Shared insights and experience from developing and sustaining ECE apprenticeships that could inform similar efforts in K-12 systems.
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2025 BUILD25 National Conference (Los Angeles, CA)
Presented an opening plenary address framing ECE’s increasing visibility as a moment of opportunity in a shifting landscape.
Publications
ECEPTS advances systems change by documenting, analyzing, and sharing insights from its apprenticeship models and field-building efforts. These publications help inform policymakers, practitioners, and researchers working to strengthen and diversify the early care and education workforce.
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Early Educator Apprenticeships in Public High Schools: Year 1 Report of an ECEPTS Youth Apprenticeship
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10MB
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Registered Apprenticeship: An Alternative Pathway to Teacher Credentialing
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3.8MB
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The Impact of Cohort Learning: A Case Study of an ECEPTS Early Educator Apprenticeship
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5.4MB
National Leadership and Advisory Roles
ECEPTS helps shape the future of ECE workforce development by contributing expertise to national advisory bodies and organizations focused on scaling and strengthening Registered Apprenticeship.
U.S. Secretary of Labor’s Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship (2022-2025)
ECEPTS Executive Director Randi Wolfe, Ph.D., served for two terms as an appointee to a 29-member advisory body, representing early education and child care and contributing to the development of policy and regulatory proposals related to the federal apprenticeship system.
Apprenticeship For America (2024-Present)
ECEPTS is an active member of this national organization, working to expand and modernize the use of intermediaries in the federal apprenticeship system and representing the needs and opportunities of the early education and child care industries.