Visit our events page! Virtual Summit:
May 20-21, 2026 Our Work, Our Future: Advancing Alignment in Workforce Data. Be in the room where the next phase of workforce data strategy is defined.
ALL MEMBERS:
FALL CONFERENCE IS SCHEDULED FOR OCT 2026. PLEASE WATCH FOR DATES TO BE RELEASED.
The National Workforce Registry Alliance (NWRA) connects and strengthens early childhood workforce registry systems across the United States.
We support states in building high-quality data systems that track professional development, credentials, and workforce trends, providing the foundation for better policy, funding, and workforce decisions.
Workforce registries are a foundational component of early childhood professional development systems.
44 state registries collaborate to strengthen workforce infrastructure
More than 1.8 million early childhood professionals are represented in registry systems (the known workforce)
Hundreds of thousands of training and credential records are verified through registry systems each year
The NWRA shares research, resources, and updates related to workforce registry systems and early childhood workforce development.
See registry system innovations
Access implementation resources
Learn more about our multi-state datasets
Training Organization Recognition (TOR)
Training Transcript Recognition (TTR)
Who We Work With:
Together, these partnerships strengthen the systems that support early childhood professionals nationwide.
A workforce registry is a secure system that tracks training, credentials, experience, and career pathways for early childhood professionals over the course of their careers. State registries help educators document their professional development while also collecting workforce data that supports licensing systems, quality initiatives, and policy decisions. Collectively, registries perform over a dozen common functions, serving as the state’s hub for professional development.
The early childhood workforce is essential to the nation’s early education system. Yet historically, they have remained a predominantly invisible workforce and data about them has remained fragmented across programs, agencies, and states.
Workforce registries provide the infrastructure needed to recognize and track professional development, credentials, experience, and workforce participation. These systems help states understand their workforce, illuminate professional pathways, and inform better policy decisions.
The National Workforce Registry Alliance connects these systems, enabling collaboration, shared standards, and stronger workforce data nationwide.
The early childhood workforce is essential to the nation’s early education system and to economic stability, yet its workforce data has historically been fragmented across states and programs. Workforce registries provide the infrastructure needed to track professional development, credentials, employment, and workforce trends. The National Workforce Registry Alliance brings these systems together to strengthen workforce data, improve quality, and support better policy decisions.
Aggregate administrative data across registries/states
Produce workforce insights
Support research and policy
Support states in developing and improving registries
Collect and share best practices
Improve data quality
Connect registry leaders and staff
Facilitate partnerships and collaborations
Support national initiatives
Our nation will demonstrate commitment to quality early care and education through just compensation of a well-prepared and supported early childhood and out-of-school time workforce by utilizing reliable data to inform policy decisions and drive research.
The National Workforce Registry Alliance advances a diverse, inclusively recognized, and equitably represented early childhood and out-of-school time workforce by strengthening data quality and establishing professional development system standards for registries.
The industry's only Emergency Broadcast System, 44 states now use workforce registries to reach over 2 million early childhood professionals.
Kimberlee Belcher-Badal, Ph.D. , Executive Director
National Workforce Alliance Registry
Our programs convene, organize and set standards to help unify and guide early learning professional development registries across the nation provide.
SEE ALL PROGRAMS
Wondering if we have a plan?
WE DO! You can learn more about what we’re doing by visiting our Strategic Road Map (2024).
To access the full document, click the link below.
To learn more about what where we’re headed, check out our Theory of Change. In our vision for the future, our work ensures:
All children have access to well prepared, adequately compensated ECE/OST Professionals, who are the delivery system for high quality care and education.
Disaggregated data demonstrates ample
access to quality, support, and just compensation.
All members of the Early Learning workforce
can be reached with critical updates, timely
information, and access to support that ensures
their inclusion, recognition and representation in
workforce data.
Integrated data aggregation allows public access to relevant, timely, reliable, representative workforce data using a Census Model, with interval reporting.
Drafted in 2022, with the input of the NWRA leadership, Workforce Perspectives Committee, and through support provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
View our membership map to see who our state members include or view individual state profiles.
VIEW OUR MEMBERS
With the support of our volunteer workforce allies, together we work to ensure those who care for children are represented, well-prepared, and justly compensated.
VIEW OUR PARTNERS
