Research
A Look Into the Work Lives of Early Childhood Education Professionals
June 8, 2026

In this Article
Professional Learning
Family Engagement
Compensation and Structural Changes
EdSurge has been exploring the work lives of early childhood professionals, unpacking their pathways to professional learning, how they engage with families and the opportunities they have for increased compensation. These stories document practitioners’ experiences and reveal why they are committed to their work despite significant challenges and complexities.
Professional Learning
What professional learning and formal education opportunities exist to support early childhood educators to advance their careers and improve learning outcomes?
Family Engagement
How are schools supporting practitioners in engaging and communicating with families effectively?
Compensation and Structural Changes
How can early childhood education institutions use compensation, benefits and structural changes to advance educational quality, practitioners' work experience and wellness?
This EdSurge Research series is made publicly available with support from Imaginable Futures, a venture of The Omidyar Group. All stories are editorially independent. (Read our ethics statement here.) This work is licensed under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
















