The early childhood education industry, which emerged as “essential” during the pandemic, is largely owned, operated, and staffed by women of color and provides a service that is critical to the rest of the economy. The City’s workforce development programming supports workers and businesses in the early childhood education sector by constructing career pathways to higher-quality jobs for early childhood education professionals and engaging sectoral partners to assist in aligning resources for practitioners and job seekers.

The City’s premier workforce development program,  Job Training Albuquerque (JTA) has also identified the early childhood education industry as a priority sector, ensuring that free trainings are available to early child care small businesses located in the City of Albuquerque. JTA has partnered with the New Mexico Child Care and Education Association (NMCCEA) as an approved training provider, allowing early child care professionals to take their National Administrator Credential (NAC), 45-Hour, and Infant and Toddler trainings for free under the City’s program. These trainings are available in both Spanish and English.

There are many reasons to pursue a career in early childhood education, including:

• Making a positive difference in the lives of children in your community
• Gaining valuable skills and knowledge about working with children and families
• Accessing funding to pay for college
• Job security – there is always a need for child care