Caitlin has over a decade of research experience in early care and education systems and policy. As CSCCE’s Director of Multi-State and International Programs, she leads cross-state early care and education (ECE) workforce policy projects. These include the biennial Early Childhood Workforce Index and related research on ECE compensation initiatives and workforce data. Caitlin also provides and oversees technical assistance to state-level stakeholders looking to improve their policies to prepare, support, and compensate early educators. Prior to joining CSCCE in 2015, Caitlin’s research focused on comparative early care and education policy in the United States and Europe, with a special emphasis on the United Kingdom. Caitlin earned a Ph.D. in Social Policy from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. In her free time, Caitlin enjoys reading and talking to her four cats.
Publications by Caitlin McLean
D.C.’s Devastating Proposal Kills Support for Its Early Childhood Educators
April 10, 2024 • Blog • By Penelope Whitney and Caitlin McLean
Last week, Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington D.C. released her proposed 2025 fiscal year budget – and devastating news for its child care system. The budget proposal…
April 8, 2024 • Case Study • By Annie Dade, Caitlin McLean, Silvia Muñoz and Raúl Chávez
This report was generously supported with grants from the Foundation for Child Development and the Heising-Simons Foundation. New Mexico has accomplished bold reforms to their early childhood education and…
March 16, 2023 • Fact Sheet • By Annie Dade and Caitlin McLean
Early care and education (ECE) reform is a priority issue for the majority of voters across party lines. This fact sheet provides legislators with key issues facing the ECE workforce,…
Bold on Early Educator Compensation Learning Community 2022: Lessons from State Actions
February 15, 2023 • Brief • By Annie Dade and Caitlin McLean
This brief shares lessons learned from the Bold on Early Educator Compensation Learning Community 2022. Each lesson is explored through examples of state actions on compensation. The executive summary table…
Supporting Early Educator Compensation Through Strong Data Collection
November 7, 2022 • Blog • By Krista Olson, Annie Dade and Caitlin McLean
Early educators provide a crucial public good, yet are unacceptably underpaid. In light of poverty-level wages that fuel a workforce shortage, some states have used…
How Are States Tackling the Early Educator Compensation Crisis?
July 12, 2022 • Blog • By Annie Dade and Caitlin McLean
This blog post describes strategies that state leaders are taking to address the early educator compensation crisis. Drawing on CSCCE’s Compensation Database and Compensation Learning Community, we share common approaches…