Early care and education Registered Apprenticeships are proliferating throughout the U.S. in an effort to bring new educators into the system and support existing educators to expand their credentials. This evaluation explores the experiences of apprentices in The Early Educator Apprentice Program at the YMCA of the East Bay in Alameda County, California.
Its findings illuminate the successes and challenges apprentices encounter in the program and show how providing holistic supports are key to removing barriers and ensuring their success.
The report finds that this apprenticeship program enhances the quality of and access to early care and education programming and professional development programs for educators. In a survey conducted by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, its apprentices report:
- Growth in their knowledge and teaching practice
- Improvements in their economic and personal well-being because of higher wages and anticipated earning potential and
- Their intention to stay in the early care and education field after completing the apprenticeship.
About the evaluation
First 5 Alameda County contracted with CSCCE to conduct an evaluation of the Early Educator Apprentice Program (EEAP) at the YMCA of the East Bay in 2023. The timing was important because Measure C launched in 2025. The voter-approved initiative will generate approximately $150 million annually to expand access to child care and raise wages for early educators in Alameda County.
The Alameda apprenticeship has been in operation since 2015, which is older than most apprenticeships and signals a commitment to and investment in the program. In 2019, First 5 Alameda County and the Alameda County Social Services Agency began a unique partnership with EEAP, to utilize TANF funding to support cohorts of parents to earn the degrees and credentials necessary for a career in ECE.
CSCCE’s findings are especially important because to date, there have been few evaluations of ECE apprenticeships, with one conducted by CSCCE in 2018. More evaluations of individual ECE apprentice programs are needed to better understand the true impact of registered apprenticeships and what works in different contexts. There is also a need for longitudinal research to understand if the gains measured persist and/or increase over time: do apprentices remain in the field and continue to thrive?
We hope to continue to observe how the program impacts the lives of graduating EEAP apprentices. We are particularly interested to observe how Measure C might contribute to program outcomes, and how this unique program and voter measure could provide guidance to other apprenticeships across the country.
Suggested Citation
Pufall Jones, E., Knight, J., Hess, H., & Copeman Petig, A. (2025). Empowering Early Educators: An Evaluation of the Alameda County Early Educator Apprentice Program. Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, University of California, Berkeley. https://cscce.berkeley.edu/publications/report/evaluation-of-alameda -county-early-educator-apprentice-program
