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
52 Ways Federal Actions Hurt Early Childhood Educators in 2025
February 9, 2026 • Brief • By Sophia Anderson, Arabella Bloom, Ilse Guardado, Leah Gutierrez , Caitlin McLean, Elena Montoya, Silvia Muñoz, Penelope Whitney and Shengwei Sun
This brief was generously supported with funding from the Heising-Simons Foundation and the Bainum Family Foundation. The early care and education (ECE) workforce is qualified, experienced, multilingual, and multicultural, with…
Advancing Early Educator Compensation: Minnesota’s Collaborative Effort
February 4, 2026 • Case Study • By Hyeonjeong Lee, Silvia Muñoz and Caitlin McLean
This report was generously supported by the Early Educator Investment Collaborative (The Collaborative). This case study looks at how Minnesota has continued sustaining compensation initiatives for its early care and…
Immigration Policies Harm the Early Childhood Workforce and the Communities They Serve
April 22, 2025 • Brief • By Silvia Muñoz and Caitlin McLean
This brief was generously supported with a grant from the Bainum Family Foundation. Since Inauguration Day, January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump has issued a series of Executive Orders targeting…
It’s (Almost) 2025: Will the U.S. Finally Fund a Child Care System That Values Women?
November 18, 2024 • Blog • By Caitlin McLean and Penelope Whitney
Have you heard? Vice President-elect J.D. Vance has an idea to fix child care: ask “grandma or grandpa” or “an aunt or uncle” to “help out a…
Designing a Wage Increase Pilot: A Framework for Supporting Early Educators in Contra Costa County
November 13, 2024 • Report • By Anna Powell, Caitlin McLean and Abby Copeman Petig
The pilot design project was funded by First 5 Contra Costa. Guaranteed income (GI) pilots are increasing in popularity in cities and counties nationwide to improve compensation for early educators.
Early Childhood Workforce Index 2024
October 8, 2024 • Report • By Caitlin McLean, Lea J.E. Austin, Anna Powell, Sophia Anderson, Yoonjeon Kim, Jenna Knight, Silvia Muñoz and Marisa Schlieber