Childcare Landscape Study - Flipbook - Page 3
Davidson County Child Care Landscape Study Results
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The Early Care and Education Workforce
Brief 2, The People Behind Early Care and Education, examines the size and composition
of the early care and education (ECE) workforce, as well as key child care program
characteristics, at center-based child care programs.
Child Care Centers Employ 4,226 Early Childhood Educators With Varying
Levels of Education and Experience
An estimated 4,226 early childhood educators work in child care centers across greater
Davidson County. Of these local educators, an estimated 60 percent serve in lead teacher
roles, and 40 percent serve in assistant teacher or rotating assistant roles.
On average, center-based programs in greater Davidson County employ educators across a
range of education levels. On average across child care centers, an estimated 36 percent hold
a bachelor's degree or higher, 27 percent have either an associate degree or some college
credits, and 36 percent have a high school diploma or less (see Figure 2).
Similarly, center-based programs in greater Davidson County employ educators at various stages
of their careers, with approximately one-third (34%) of early childhood educators having 3 years
or less of experience and approximately one-third (33%) having 9 or more years of experience.
Figure 2: ECE Workforce Education and Experience
Source: Davidson County Child Care Provider Experience Survey. The Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center, 2025. Notes:
Directors (n=112) reported on the education and experience levels of their entire teaching staff. Results were extrapolated to
represent the estimated full workforce across all child care centers (n=240), excluding Head Start (n=6). Categories reflect
original survey response options, with minor grouping for clarity. Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center 2025
www.pn3policy.org
