Excerpt from the press release:
In a national survey of institutions of higher education (IHEs) with early childhood programs, the researchers found that these programs are in need of support. Overall, programs will not have adequate faculty to meet the projected workforce needs during this era of stronger teacher preparation requirements. Using new data, they estimate that a 76% increase in early childhood faculty would be needed if all current early childhood teachers were required to obtain a Bachelor's degree. Data also indicate that the faculty members of early childhood programs are working harder than their colleagues elsewhere in the same institutions. They are serving more students with fewer full-time faculty members, compared to IHEs as a whole.