Parents depend on childcare so they can go to work and drive Colorado’s economy forward. It is past time to build a pipeline of well-trained and well-paid educators who teach Colorado’s youngest children. This report highlights areas for increased investment, shared learning, and cross-sector alignment. This is a call to action for school districts and higher education leaders to not forget about the crucial workforce behind the workforce — early childhood educators.
– Jason Callegari, Director of Initiatives, Buell Foundation
Colorado’s early childhood education (ECE) workforce is at an important moment of change — and the opportunity to redesign the systems and structures that support it is well within reach.
The Buell Foundation partnered with Colorado Education Initiative (CEI) as Colorado’s PK-12 intermediary to take a comprehensive look at how ECE career pathways are designed, delivered, and connected across Colorado, identifying the gaps, highlighting what’s working, and offering actionable opportunities to build and sustain a high-quality early childhood workforce.
Informed by insights from nearly 70 stakeholders — including state agency leaders, early childhood providers, school district administrators, higher education faculty, and educators — this new report, “Designing a Stronger Early Childhood Workforce Pipeline: Aligning Access, Pathways, and Investment Across Colorado’s Education Systems,” reflects a shared commitment to creating a more connected and equitable workforce across the state.
Key takeaways from the report include:
- Career pathways exist but are often disconnected. Stronger alignment across PK-12, higher education, and workforce systems can create clearer, more accessible routes into the profession.
- Promising models are already making a difference. Grow-your-own programs, earn-and-learn models, regional partnerships, and integrated PK-3 pathways demonstrate what’s possible when systems work together.
- Access and equity remain critical priorities. Rural communities, multilingual educators, and those in high-need roles continue to face barriers to entering and advancing in the profession.
- Collaboration is essential. Coordinated action among state agencies, school districts, higher education institutions, employers, and community partners is needed to strengthen the workforce pipeline.
- Actionable opportunities exist. Opportunities to shape the future of Colorado’s early childhood workforce include improving credential alignment, investing in regional infrastructure, strengthening career navigation, aligning compensation with career advancement, and building on recent policy momentum.
Whether you’re a policymaker, educator, school or district leader, higher education partner, or employer, this report provides practical insights and recommendations to advance a stronger and streamlined pipeline for the educators who support Colorado’s youngest learners.
We invite you to explore the findings and share the report with your networks. The Buell Foundation and CEI will be joining district and higher education leaders next week at the 2026 Colorado Association of School Executives (CASE) Convention to share more about this report. This session, “Where It All Begins: Aligning Early Childhood and K-12 Through Workforce Development,” will take place on Wednesday, July 29, at 1:30pm.
Please connect with Rebecca Holmes at rholmes@coloradoedinitiative.org with questions or to learn more.