The designation recognizes that early childhood education is essential to both child development and Pennsylvania’s economy. By identifying Preschool Teachers as a High Priority Occupation, the Commonwealth has formally recognized the profession as an in-demand, critical career eligible for workforce development investments, including tuition assistance, workforce training programs, paid apprenticeships, educator pipeline development, and other career advancement opportunities. 

The statewide designation builds on growing regional momentum. Since 2025, the South Central Workforce Investment Board has recognized Child Care Worker and Preschool Teachers as a High Priority Occupations, and the Lancaster County Workforce Development Board recently approved the designation for the next three years. Together, these regional actions complement the statewide designation and reflect an increasing commitment across south-central Pennsylvania to strengthen the early childhood education workforce. 

“This is a huge win for educators, families, and programs across our region,” said Kim Hengst, Community Connections for Children’s ECHO Workforce Development. “It validates what we’ve always known – that early childhood educators are essential to both our economy and the well-being of our children.” 

The High Priority Occupation designations create new opportunities to strengthen the early childhood workforce through initiatives such as: 

• Support for Child Development Associate (CDA) credentialing 

• Expansion of apprenticeship programs like the ECHO Teacher Aide / Registered Apprenticeship Program 

• Enhanced access to training and career pathways in early childhood education 

Early childhood education programs can also benefit from increased access to staff training supports, recruitment pipelines, and funding that helps grow and stabilize the childcare workforce. 

“The ECHO Teacher Aide & Registered Apprenticeship Program has demonstrated that paid, supported career pathways can successfully recruit and prepare high-quality early childhood educators,” said Katie Caples, Community Connections for Children’s ECHO Director. “With these statewide and regional workforce designations, Pennsylvania has even greater opportunities to invest in the professionals who provide the foundation for children’s learning and our communities’ economic success.” 

Community Connections for Children will continue working alongside workforce development boards, employers, educational institutions, and state leaders to expand career pathways and leverage these designations to strengthen the early childhood education workforce across the region. 

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Community Connections for Children (CCC), the Early Learning Resource Center for Regions 9 & 10 and is committed to helping children, families, and early childhood education programs be successful. We support low-income working families in paying for childcare and provide resources, training, and on-site technical assistance to early childhood education providers to help them improve their program to ensure that every child is successful in school and life. We serve approximately 24,000 children, families, and early childhood education programs a year in Adams, Centre, Cumberland, Dauphin, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Northumberland, Perry, Snyder, Union, and York counties. 

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