A lack of availability and access to early childhood education and care in the United States has been long seen as a crisis with serious impacts on families, business productivity, and tax revenue.
According to a report from the Wisconsin Economic Development Institute, approximately 4 out of 5 Wisconsin employers say the state economy is impacted by parents’ access to affordable, high-quality childcare.
The University of Wisconsin – Whitewater is responding to an ongoing need for early childhood education advocacy to meet critical workforce needs with a new online degree program.
Professor Lucy Heimer says the Master of Science in Education in Early Childhood Education Policy launched in 2022 to give professionals the tools needed to address early childhood education system solutions, preparing them to work with schools, non-profit organizations, governmental agencies, advocacy groups, and institutes of higher education.
In December the first eight graduates of the program earned their diplomas.
