Arizona Early Childhood Workforce Career Lattice

Arizona has a diverse and growing community of professionals who work with or on behalf of young children and families. Just as this community has grown, so has the commitment of Arizona to support the ongoing professional development of early childhood caregivers, teachers, administrators, trainers, college faculty, mentors, coaches, program consultants, and allied professionals.

In order to provide nurturing, high-quality early childhood environments for all children, it is necessary to have a highly competent early childhood workforce. Education and professional development provide the pathway to achieving this goal. The Arizona Early Childhood Workforce Career Lattice outlines this pathway.

The Career Lattice is distributed across eight levels (Levels A-H), from entry levels (Levels A-C) through advanced levels (Levels G-H). Three criteria form the foundation of the Lattice:

• Education and licensing and/or certification requirements with
• Specialized coursework and/or approved professional development and
• Work experience

A professional determines their level on the Lattice by locating the intersection of education with professional development and experience as described on page 11. Participation in the Lattice is voluntary.

CLICK HERE to view the lattice.

The last column of the Arizona Early Childhood Workforce Career Lattice links education, approved professional development, and work experience to the five Arizona Early Childhood Workforce Knowledge & Competency Levels. The corresponding levels are:

• Levels A to C of the Arizona Early Childhood Workforce Career Lattice correspond to Arizona Early Childhood Workforce Knowledge & Competencies Level 1.
• Levels D to E of the Arizona Early Childhood Workforce Career Lattice correspond to Arizona Early Childhood Workforce Knowledge & Competencies Level 2.
• Levels E to F of the Arizona Early Childhood Workforce Career Lattice correspond to Arizona Early Childhood Workforce Knowledge & Competencies Level 3.
• Levels F to G of the Arizona Early Childhood Workforce Career Lattice correspond to Arizona Early Childhood Workforce Knowledge & Competencies Level 4.
• Levels G to H of the Arizona Early Childhood Workforce Career Lattice correspond to Arizona Early Childhood Workforce Knowledge & Competencies Level 5.