The political emphasis on early education speaks of growing expectations for equal access and the need to ensure quality—by way of standard accountability measures—on behalf of all young children. A central element in the improvement of early education focuses on teacher quality. In this article we examine and discuss the challenges related to finding and retaining highly qualified early childhood teachers, how this may impact preschool program quality, school readiness, and the ensuing academic achievement gaps among students of diverse backgrounds. Through a case study involving one state, we examine its agencies overseeing early education and care, teacher credentialing, and early childhood teacher education programs. Insights provided are useful for those concerned with children’s equitable access to highly qualified teachers in states with policy inconsistencies that appear to unintentionally but factually perpetuate the income-achievement gap.
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