Apprenticeships in Early Head Start Programs: Select Findings from the Survey of Staff Recruitment, Training, and Professional Development in Early Head Start

Rebecca H. Berger; Tricia DelGrosso; Diane Schilder

Brief

Apprenticeships in Early Head Start Programs

Subtitle

Select Findings from the Survey of Staff Recruitment, Training, and Professional Development in Early Head Start

Rebecca H. Berger, Tricia DelGrosso,

Diane Schilder

October 1, 2025

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This brief presents information about Early Head Start programs’ participation in apprenticeships to support the hiring of new staff and the professional development of existing staff. Apprenticeship programs provide structured on-the-job learning combined with job-related education or coursework and are a promising strategy for preparing people for early care and education (ECE) careers or providing a career pathway to the existing ECE workforce. Apprenticeships may build the pipeline of staff with the competencies to deliver high-quality services and help increase the qualifications of Early Head Start teachers and home visitors. To date, the evidence base has been limited, particularly for home visitor apprenticeship programs.

Why This Matters

Apprenticeship programs may provide one pathway to strengthen recruitment, improve staff qualifications, and support career advancement. Findings in this brief provide the first nationally representative information about Early Head Start program participation in apprenticeship programs and can inform policymakers, program leaders, and researchers interested in workforce development strategies.

What We Found

More than one third (37 percent) of Early Head Start programs with teaching staff participated in apprenticeship programs to recruit and support teachers.
Programs commonly used Early Head Start grants and state funding to support participation. Among participants, 20 percent relied only on Early Head Start grants, 16 percent only on state funding, and others reported combining funding sources.
About one quarter of programs partnered with Registered Apprenticeship Programs to recruit qualified teaching applicants (28 percent) and home visiting applicants (24 percent). Of those, most reported the partnerships were somewhat or very useful for recruiting staff.
Few programs partnered with Registered Apprenticeship Programs to support existing teachers and home visitors in developing qualifications and competencies (ranging from 6 to 15 percent, depending on role and purpose).

Together, these findings suggest apprenticeship programs are expanding as a strategy within Early Head Start.

How We Did It

The project team analyzed data from the 2024 Survey of Staff Recruitment, Training, and Professional Development in Early Head Start, a nationally representative sample of Early Head Start programs during the 2023–24 program year. The survey included questions for program directors or another designated staff person about how the program searched for and hired qualified staff and how they supported staff in ongoing career development. Respondents from programs offering center-based and/or family child care services reported on recruiting and training teachers, while respondents from programs offering home-based services reported on recruiting and training home visitors.