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Improving Systems, Practices, and Outcomes

Recruitment and Retention of Personnel Serving Young Children with Disabilities

Updated October 16, 2024, 5:04 AM

Personnel shortages negatively impact all young children and their families. However, there is a disproportionate impact on young children from historically marginalized and underserved communities, including communities of color, those experiencing poverty, and those with disabilities.

Recruitment and Retention of Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education Personnel: A Synthesis of Innovative Practices curates key strategies that address personnel shortages among those who serve young children with disabilities and their families. Drawn from research and innovations from states and local programs, these strategies show promise in helping recruit and retain Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education (EI/ECSE) practitioners and leaders.

The strategy areas align with The Office of Special Education Program (OSEP)'s Attract, Prepare, Retain: Effective Personnel for All initiative. It includes examples from across EI/ECSE, school-based K–12 special education teachers, paraprofessionals, and personnel with a discipline-specific focus (for example, speech language pathologists, occupational therapists, and physical therapists).

This information is for:

  • IDEA Part C and Part B, Section 619 state coordinators and staff;
  • providers of services to children ages birth–5 with developmental disabilities and their families;
  • families of children ages birth–5 with developmental disabilities and delays;
  • institutions of higher education and other personnel preparation entities; and
  • technical assistance organizations that support effective EI/ECSE recruitment and retention efforts.

To support state and program workforce development efforts, the Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA) Center developed the Recruitment and Retention of Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education Personnel: A Synthesis of Innovative Practices with an expert technical working group (TWG). Researchers, state and program practitioners, advocates, families, and national EI/ECSE leaders brought their experiences, wisdom, and passion to the development of the Synthesis. The TWG, committed to a diverse and effective EI/ECSE workforce, and met monthly during spring and summer 2023 to:

  • share their insights;
  • curate state and local examples; and
  • explore retention and recruitment challenges for root causes and promising solutions.

The result is a robust, relevant, and useful tool for state and program leaders nationwide. The TWG members are listed below with their positions and unique perspectives.

Recruitment and Retention Synthesis Technical Workgroup Members
TWG Member Organization Perspectives As Shared by TWG Members
Jessica Alex BowenParent representative, IDEA Infant Toddler Coordinators Association (ITCA)Family leaders interested in giving input on their experience in EI/ECSE
Kevin ByrdITCAState level EI leader; Part C Coordinator
Susan CahillAmerican Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)Director of Evidence-Based Practice at AOTA, previously with higher education
Shannon DunstonState 619 CoordinatorChair of National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDE) 619 affinity group, work with higher education in Idaho
Julia Martin EileOffice of Special Education Programs (OSEP)OSEP project officer for ECTA Center since 2008, work at federal level since 2001, former Part C monitor
David EmenheiserOSEPOSEP Research to Practice division for 13 years; project officer for the Early Childhood Intervention Personnel Development Equity Center (ECIPC-Equity), other school projects, and parent centers
Margaret GillisThe Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems (DaSy)Personnel data TA lead, EI/ECSE workforce researcher, former professor of EI/ECSE
Darla GundlerECIPC-EquityECIPC-Equity, professional development systems, family leader, former Part C state staff
Christy KavulicOSEPOSEP leader for 17 years, former speech language pathologist (SLP), oversees the early childhood team in Research to Practice division, personnel preparation grants
Peggy KempDivision for Early Childhood (DEC)DEC Executive Director, support for DEC members
Toby LongAmerican Physical Therapists Association (APTA)APTA American Physical Therapists Association (APTA) representative as a physical therapist (PT), also project director at Georgetown on personnel preparation grants
Lori Ann Malina-LovelITCAPart C Coordinator in Nevada, ITCA
Catherine MatthewsEducatorSpecial Education PreK Teacher and parent, Teacher of the Year for Montana 2023
Alondra MustafaParent representative state interagency coordinating council (SICC) Parent advocate workgroup (PAW) member, Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD)Parent, SICC leader and CSPD advocate, former special education teacher, Latina identity
Lisa OpertParent representative SICC PAW Member, CSPDParent, SICC leader, equity focus, former teacher
Chioma OruhECIPC-EquityECIPC-Equity, mother, academic, political scientist, community leader, teacher, community education, interest in multiple pathways
Micker RichardsonAmerican Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) Head Start Collaboration OfficerDiverse perspectives, including representatives from tribal communities/organizations - AIAN Head Start Collaboration, lead on mental health and disability services for AIAN
Xigrid Soto-BoykinChildren's Equity ProjectDiverse perspectives, including representatives from tribal communities or organizations
Doanne Ward-WilliamsAmerican Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)Director of State Affairs for ASHA, state legislation/regulations for SLP, bilingual SLP previously in private practice
Mallory WarnerNational Early Childhood Education Workforce CenterResearch experience in recruitment and retention practices
Julia WayneVermont Children's Integrated Services (CIS)Personnel Development Coordinator at the University of Vermont Center on Disability and Community Inclusion, supporting Children's Integrated Services; Early Childhood Special Educator

Key Strategies

Each key strategy is provides a number of references for further reading.

Compensation for early intervention and early childhood special education (EI/ECSE) staff is an ongoing issue that impacts attraction and retention.

For these staff, low compensation and low societal valuation impact the number of individuals who enter the profession. Compensation is the largest perceived gap between early childhood special educators' and college students' preferred career paths. Its significance is even higher for college students of color. The gap between the amount of student debt for students of color and eventual earnings in special education is a significant factor in their career choice.

Examples of strategies states are using to address these challenges are grouped into three categories: compensation, loan forgiveness, and other financial incentives. Financial support may also extend to programs or schools, which can further benefit educators. Some strategies support Pre-K–12 personnel, while others focus on birth–age 5 educators.

Compensation is a pressing need to attract and retain educators.

  • Colorado's Department of Early Childhood committed to a 2023 distribution of $4 million through retention bonuses to over 1300 direct service providers and service coordinators.
  • Illinois' Early Intervention Provider 10% Rate Increase for contracted personnel in all 16 core EI services.
  • Washington DC's Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund qualified eligible early childhood educators to receive up to four payments of up to $3,500 each between October 2022 and September 2023.

Loan forgiveness includes tuition assistance and loan forgiveness programs to attract prospective teachers into high-need subject areas, including ECSE.1

  • The North Carolina Teaching Fellows program covers areas of most need such as special education, STEM fields, and low-performing schools. Students enroll at one of eight select educator preparation programs and receive up to $5000 per semester in financial aid.
  • Wisconsin's Minority Teacher Loan Program is for teacher candidates enrolled in a Wisconsin college or university preparation program. It prepares them to become certified in areas where there is a shortage of teachers, like special education.

Other financial incentives include mortgage guarantees or other housing support, down payment assistance in exchange for service commitment agreements, decreased employee tuition in fee-for-service funded placements in public school prekindergarten programs and wrap-around care, and opportunities to continue teaching, mentoring, and coaching after retirement.2

  • Connecticut's Teachers Mortgage Assistance Program helps teachers of color who graduated from a historic Black college or a Hispanic-serving institution buy homes through down payment assistance and interest rate reduction.
  • Montana Teacher Housing provides teachers who live in the Big Sky School District affordable housing.
  1. Acosta, K.A., & Holdheide, L.R. (2021). An opportunity to invest in the educator workforce. Center on Great Teachers and Leaders. https://ceedar.education.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/An-Opportunity-to-Invest-in-the-Educator-Workforce.pdf
  2. Sutcher, L., Darling-Hammond, L., & Carver-Thomas, D. (2016). A Coming Crisis in Teaching? Teacher Supply, Demand, and Shortages in the U.S. Learning Policy Institute. https://doi.org/10.54300/247.242

Spotlight on Increasing EI/ECSE Workforce Diversity
  • Bettini, E., Phillips, A., Candelaria, M., Kennedy, M., Edmonds, R.Z., & Scott, T. (2019). Retaining effective personnel to serve children with disabilities [Symposium session]. 2019 OSEP Virtual Symposia Series, Washington, DC. U.S Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs.
  • Carver-Thomas, D. (2018). Diversifying the teaching profession: How to recruit and retain teachers of color. Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/product-files/Diversifying_Teaching_Profession_REPORT_0.pdf
  • Eberly, J. E. (2018). Community college developmental education services: Perspectives of Spanish-speaking Latino early childhood educators. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 17(1), 3–19. https://doi.org/10.1177/1538192716652500

Grow Your Own (GYO) programs recruit local candidates to earn degrees and licenses.

They are partnerships between early intervention (EI) and early childhood special education (ECSE) and educator preparation providers (EPPs). These programs:

  • reduce barriers and increase access to higher education;
  • strengthen the workforce; and
  • allow individuals to stay in their community.

According to the US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Services (OSEP), GYO programs focused on early childhood education have proven successful in recruiting and retaining diverse educators. Some examples include:

High school teacher certification pathways allow high school students to gain experience working in inclusive early childhood settings while receiving credit toward a credential or degree in a local two- or four-year degree program.

  • Louisiana's Pre-Educator Pathway cultivates educators by guiding young people to become accomplished and skilled teachers, from high school, through college, and into the profession.

Local school/local institutions of higher education (IHEs)/community-based programs occur in school districts, local IHEs, and local programs that want to recruit and grow educators from their own communities and provide a place-based pathway toward teacher certification.

  • The Maryland Leads Initiative is a grant initiative that provides more targeted support for historically underserved students and their communities. It supports local education agencies (LEAs) in addressing short- and long-term challenges related to the current labor shortage. It also attends to the longstanding need to establish and strengthen teacher pipelines and development.

Alternative pathways allow current professionals to teach in a different or related field or support paraprofessionals already working in special education or EI.

  • Oklahoma's Boot Camp provides provisional special education teacher certification programs to candidates who want to obtain a non-traditional certification. Completion of the boot camp allows individuals to apply for a one-year provisional certificate through the Oklahoma State Department of Education while earning college credit towards a master's degree in special education.

Apprenticeships allow educators to complete ongoing coursework while continuing to teach under a mentor's supervision.

  • Hawaii ECE Apprenticeship Program from Honolulu Community College has designed apprenticeship programs with two community-based Native Hawaiian educational organizations: the Institute for Native Pacific Education and Culture and Keiki O Ka 'Aina. This pilot program makes ECE courses more accessible by bringing credit-bearing coursework to students rather than expecting them to come to a college campus.

Spotlight on Increasing EI/ECSE Workforce Diversity

It is essential to create awareness about the significance of the early intervention (EI) and early childhood special education (ECSE) workforce.

Research has shown that many workers view teaching as a semi-profession until they get a "real" job in other fields.1, 2 Unfortunately, there is a lack of promotion and marketing of educational and EI settings as attractive workplaces and promising career choices. As a result, people do not consider it a promising career path. To change this perception, it is important to implement robust strategies that positively promote and market educational settings.

States, cities, and organizations use social media, branding, and marketing campaigns to recruit and develop future EI and ECSE professionals.

  • Arizona's comprehensive system of professional development (CSPD's) Recruitment and Retention Guide for AZ Early Childhood Programs tackles the challenges that cause personnel shortages. This ensures that all of Arizona's children and families, including those with disabilities, have access to highly qualified educators, resources, and services to support their needs.
  • The Division for Early Childhood's Be A Part of Early Intervention Public Awareness Video provides awareness of EI as a career that offers job satisfaction in a government-mandated, multidisciplinary field with excellent career prospects.
  • Illinois Occupational Therapy Association Community Outreach Committee increases awareness of occupational therapy (OT) as a profession within various communities throughout the state.
  • New Mexico's Teaching is Changing Lives is a campaign and one-stop portal for information on teaching careers including PreK.
  • Texas Education Agency's #IAmTXEd Campaign is a social media campaign that shares ongoing success stories of Texas practitioners. The state campaign collects and disseminates educator stories that lead to improved student outcomes and achievements shared weekly through social media.
  1. Darling-Hammond, L. (2010). The flat world and education: How America's commitment to equity will determine its future. NY: Teachers College Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-010-9137-7
  2. Wiggan, G., Smith, D., & Watson-Vandiver, M. (2021). The national teacher shortage, urban education and the cognitive sociology of labor. The Urban Review, 53, 43–75. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-020-00565-z

Spotlight on Increasing EI/ECSE Workforce Diversity

Professional development is critical for new and experienced early intervention (EI) and early childhood special education (ECSE) providers.

High-quality professional development opportunities ensure professionals receive ongoing training to maintain/extend existing skills and knowledge, with a focus on evidence-based practice (EBP) and adult learning principles.

The goal is to provide those already working in the EI/ECSE field with professional development (PD) to help upskill, promote, and retain an existing workforce. Several strategies can help achieve this. They include:

  • relationship-based PD that combines training or coursework with coaching or technical assistance (TA);
  • competency-based coursework;
  • credentialing, that includes micro-credentials and digital badging; and
  • ongoing training related to inclusive practices.

Strategies used across the U.S. include:

  • California's Educator Effectiveness Program provides funds for professional learning to county offices of education, school districts, charter schools, and state special schools and promotes educator equity, quality, and effectiveness.
  • Illinois' Early Intervention Training Program (EITP) provides training opportunities for EI professionals through a system that is regionalized, responsive, and reflective of best practices and promotes growth, service, and belonging.
  • The Kansas Inservice Training System (KITS) provides PD through training activities and individualized TA to all Kansas Part C providers through a model based on intensity of support.
  • The University of Texas Children's Learning Institute (CLI) Engage Initiative implements a system for early childhood specialists to earn micro-credentials as part of an early childhood competency framework.
  • Virginia's Early Intervention Professional Development Center provides coordination and oversight of its comprehensive system of personnel development (CSPD) for early interventionists who provide support and services for infants and toddlers with developmental delays and disabilities and their families.

  • Billingsley, B., & Bettini, E. (2019). Special education teacher attrition and retention: A review of the literature. Review of Educational Research, 89(5), 697–744. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654319862495
  • Bruder, M.B., Catalino, T., Chiarello, L.A., Mitchell, M., Deppe, J., Gundler, D., Kemp, P., LeMoine, S., Long, T. Muhlenhaupt, M., Prelock, P., Schefkind, S., Stayton, V., & Ziegler, D. (2019). Finding a common lens: Competencies across professional disciplines providing early childhood intervention. Infants & Young Children 32(4), 280–293. https://doi.org/10.1097/IYC.0000000000000153
  • Dennis, L.R., Farquharson, K., Reed, A.C., Summy, R., Clark, K.G., & Westmoreland, J. (2023). Practice-Based Coaching for Speech-Language Pathologists Supporting Paraeducators and Speech-Language Pathology Assistants. Language, Speech & Hearing Services in Schools, 54(1), 160–170. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_LSHSS-22-00068
  • Farquharson, K., Therrien, M., Barton-Hulsey, A., & Brandt, A. F. (2022). How to Recruit, Support, and Retain Speech-Language Pathologists in Public Schools. Journal of School Leadership, 32(3), 225–245. https://doi.org/10.1177/1052684620966062
  • Koch, J. (2018). State mentoring policies key to supporting novice teachers. National Association of State Boards of Education Policy Update, 25(1). https://www.nasbe.org/state-mentoring-policies-key-to-supporting-novice-teachers
  • Sheridan, S.M., Edwards, C.P., Marvin, C.A., & Knoche, L.L. (2009). Professional development in early childhood programs: Process issues and research needs. Early Education and Development, 20(3), 377–401. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409280802582795
  • Sutcher, L., Darling-Hammond, L., & Carver-Thomas, D. (2016). A Coming Crisis in Teaching? Teacher Supply, Demand, and Shortages in the U.S. Learning Policy Institute. https://doi.org/10.54300/247.242
Spotlight on Increasing EI/ECSE Workforce Diversity

Leadership plays a crucial role in improving teaching and learning practices.

Early childhood professional leadership is the capacity of teachers and other early intervention and early childhood special education (EI/ECSE) professionals to influence their colleagues, administrators, and other members of the early childhood community, either as individuals or as a group. By taking on leadership roles, EI/ECSE professionals enhance their leadership skills, build competence, and earn respect from their colleagues. It is essential to give EI/ECSE professionals opportunities for leadership and advancement. These include paid release time or other compensation for the extra work outside of the classroom/program.

Recent research literature on early childhood education leadership by Kirby et al. reveals that a combination of two types of early childhood teacher leadership can significantly improve the overall quality of an early childhood program. The first type enhances instructional quality in a program, such as peer coaching or mentor teachers. The second type of leadership promotes collaborative learning among teaching staff, such as leading a community of practice or other group professional development.

Examples of successful programs include:

  • California's Early Childhood Mentor Program provides mentors in leadership and guidance for early childhood education (ECE) students or new/early career professionals throughout California.
  • Illinois' Early Intervention Training Program (EITP) Leadership Fellowship supports leaders to grow in their capacity to meet the needs of the EI workforce and families. The fellowship provides professional development opportunities to:
    • increase emotional intelligence and strengthen leadership skills;
    • increase capacity to leverage strengths and opportunities to achieve goals;
    • strengthen relationships to sustain quality EI work; and
    • establish social networks to connect with after the fellowship is completed.
  • Pennsylvania's Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) Policy Fellowship enhances career pathways for early learning providers and professionals. The fellowship includes placement sites, monthly cohort meetings, and an online learning community.
  • Virginia's Aspiring Special Education Leaders Academy helps school divisions and state-operated programs with succession planning and prepares potential leaders for future administrative positions in special education.

Spotlight on Increasing EI/ECSE Workforce Diversity

The ways early interventionists, early childhood special educators, and related service providers perceive their working environment directly impacts job satisfaction and whether they stay or leave.

Factors that contribute to job satisfaction include administrative support, communication, and individual decision-making. Studies show that support from school and program leaders that focuses on staff's professional and emotional needs is essential for staff retention. Administrators who prioritize staff needs and wellness create a supportive environment. Policies and practices that meet staff's most essential needs help them stay. Peer-to-peer collaboration, coaching, mentoring, and breaks for self-care can reduce stress and improve working conditions.

Examples of successful strategies include:

  • Alaska's Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association (APIA) invested American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds into holistic self-care and wellness initiatives to support staff. This includes offering bi-weekly online yoga classes for all staff by an Indigenous yoga instructor. The classes combined traditional knowledge and Western approaches. The classes reduced anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic distress symptoms and improved coping skills, immune functioning, relationships, and connection to culture and traditional practices.
  • Colorado's Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Program is an investment in the mental health and well-being of children, families, and professionals in the state's ECE system. Its goal is to reduce workforce stress, increase staff retention, support the well-being of young children, and address behaviors adults find challenging. Consultants use reflective consultation as a key strategy to promote staff mental health and well-being.
  • Illinois' Service Coordination Forum is one component of a comprehensive system of supports that Illinois has for service coordinators, program managers, and technical assistance providers to partner with and support each other. Members connect via quarterly virtual meetings. They identify discussion topics by members' shared interests and needs. Members also have an online workspace to connect, share resources, and support each other between meetings.

Spotlight on Increasing EI/ECSE Workforce Diversity
  • Dixon, D., Griffin, A., & Teoh, M. (2019). If you listen, we will stay: Why teachers of color leave and how to disrupt teacher turnover. The Education Trust and Teach Plus, Washington DC. https://teachplus.org/disruptteacherturnover
  • Scott, L.A. & Alexander, Q. (2019). Strategies for recruiting and retaining Black male special education teachers. Remedial and Special Education, 40(4), 236–247. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932517732636