Latina Teachers and the “BA Challenge:” Impacts and Conditions of Increasing Requirements in Early Childhood Education
In 2018, UnidosUS conducted policy research on Latina teachers working in ECE settings operated by our Affiliate organizations.
Our primary purpose was to examine the “BA Challenge,” namely: the concern that Latina ECE teachers without degrees would lose or leave their positions due to increased educational requirements. Across the United States, many Latina ECE teachers must now have a bachelor’s degree or be enrolled in a degree program as a condition of their employment.
This report is organized into two sections. In Part 1, UnidosUS reports findings from interviews with Affiliate program administrators and ten teacher focus groups, presents and discusses responses to the BA Challenge, and examines some of the conditions and challenges that Latina teachers face when working and pursuing degrees. In Part 2, UnidosUS presents state and federal policy recommendations and identifies several areas for future investigation.
