"Recognizing the critical role that early childhood educators play in the lives of children and families, First 5 California commissioned in 2004 a statewide and regional study of California’s early care and education (ECE) workforce in licensed child care centers and licensed family child care homes. The overall goal of the study was to collect information on the current characteristics of this workforce—particularly its educational background, and its potential needs for further professional development. This study provides a baseline for measuring future progress toward attaining a well-educated and diverse ECE workforce; it does not, however, assess teachers’ and providers’ overall knowledge and skills, or the content of training and coursework they have completed.

First 5 California sought statewide information about licensed family child care providers and about teachers, assistant teachers  and directors employed in licensed child care centers, as well as regional comparisons with respect to demographics and child care supply. The statewide study sample included providers and center staff from every county in the state, but there were not sufficient numbers of providers in the sample to generate county-specific reports. Counties were invited, however, to contract for additional local interviews in order to build a representative sample, and First 5 Alameda County agreed to commission a local study of its early care and education workforce, building on the statewide study.^_

The survey population included the 1,784 active licensed homes and 484 active licensed centers in Alameda County, serving children from birth to five years, that were listed as of January 2004 with state-funded child care resource and referral agencies. These lists were updated in 2005 before interviews began. The Field Research Corporation, Inc., collected data from 403 licensed family child care homes and 224 centers, using a computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) system. Family child care interviews were  conducted in English or Spanish, and center interviews were conducted with the director in English. For more information about methodology, see the full study reports at the First 5 California website, http://www.ccfc.ca.gov" - Center for the Study of Child Care Employment and California Child Care Resource and Referral Network