Career map. Use the arrow keys to move between roles: left and right move across sectors, up and down move between experience levels. Press Space to add or remove the focused role from your pathway. Press Enter to view full details. Press Escape to close.
This map was designed for:
- Job seekers and career changers exploring meaningful careers in child care and early learning
- Students and educators learning about early childhood career pathways
- Career advisors and workforce professionals supporting training and credential alignment
- Child care providers and employers working to recruit, retain, and grow talent across the region
- Current early educators interested in advancing their careers or exploring new roles
Columns represent different child care and early learning industry sectors. Rows show career levels: Entry, Intermediate, and Lead/Specialist.
Click on any role to view a job summary, salary range, skills, credentials, and related career information. Use the map to explore where you can start, how you can advance, and what experiences or qualifications may help you move into new opportunities.
Many careers in child care and early learning grow through experience, professional development, credentials, and leadership opportunities over time.
Not always. Many entry-level roles in child care and early learning have flexible entry requirements and offer opportunities to gain experience while working.
Some positions may require certifications, credentials, or degrees, while others provide on-the-job training or support for continued education. The map can help you explore different pathways and understand what qualifications may help you advance over time.
Begin by exploring entry-level roles on the map to learn about job responsibilities, skills, and qualifications.
Many child care employers offer training, mentorship, and opportunities for continued education. You can also connect with local workforce organizations, colleges, apprenticeship programs, or professional development resources to begin your pathway.
Salary estimates reflect available labor market data, employer job postings for SWPA, and input from workforce and industry partners.
The salary estimates on the map come from a mix of public labor market data and regional job postings. The wage data mainly comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program for Pennsylvania, along with information from O*NET and U.S. Census data.
For each job on the map, our team matched the role to its official occupation code, known as a Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code. We then used the BLS wage data for that occupation and compared it with job postings from employers across Southwestern Pennsylvania. Those postings come from Indeed and LinkedIn and are updated monthly.
Because employers often use different job titles for similar work, the posting data is reviewed using technology that looks at the full job description, not just the title. This helps us better identify what type of job the posting is actually describing.
Salaries are intended to provide general guidance and may vary based on employer, experience, education, credentials, schedule, geographic location, and local market conditions.
The salary ranges shown on the map are regional averages based on all of this information together. If the salary ranges listed in job postings were much higher than the BLS data, we used the BLS numbers instead so the published salary ranges stayed consistent with the federal data source. Actual pay can still vary depending on the employer, experience, credentials, and location.
Many colleges, universities, career and technical centers, and workforce training organizations offer programs related to child care and early learning. Depending on your goals, opportunities may include short-term training, CDA programs, certificates, associate degrees, bachelor’s degrees, apprenticeships, and continuing education.
Financial support may also be available through scholarships, apprenticeships, employer-supported tuition assistance, workforce funding programs, and state or federal financial aid.
See additional tabs for a list of education and training programs, as well as funding opportunities.
The map features a curated set of roles relevant to child care and early learning in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Your desired job may go by a different title or fall outside the current scope of the map. We encourage you to explore related pathways and industry sectors, as many skills and experiences transfer across roles.
The map is intended to evolve and grow alongside the child care workforce.
Yes. The child care and early learning workforce continues to evolve, and this map is intended to grow alongside it.
Roles, career pathways, training opportunities, and salary information may be updated over time to reflect changes in the field and regional workforce needs.
The SW PA Child Care Career Map was developed by Julius in partnership with Trying Together, a regional early childhood intermediary in SWPA.
The map was informed through collaboration with child care providers, early educators, Partner4Work, a local workforce development organization, employers, and regional partners across Southwestern Pennsylvania. It is designed to help job seekers, educators, advisors, and employers better understand child care career pathways and the opportunities available throughout the region.