A clearly defined career lattice or framework is a vital component of a state professional development system, which Hawaiʻi needs to recruit and retain a highly skilled workforce. An ECE career framework would support elevating our state’s early childhood policies around compensation, educational advancement, and professional development that aligns with the Power to the Profession Unifying Framework.

Career pathways create a sequence of stackable, portable credentials that reflect the sophisticated science of working with young children, combined with supports that educators need to advance their individual career progression on that pathway. Career pathways operate on two levels:

1. A systems approach for the workforce at large; and
2. An individual approach for each professional seeking advancement.

The following pathway maps were developed and will be updated by the Graduate ECE Programs in the College of Education. It is being disseminated in collaboration with the ECE³ grant project.