Sunset of the CA ECE Workforce Registry

For years, the ECE Workforce Registry has been California's statewide online system for early care and education professionals. A free tool where teachers, administrators, and providers could create profiles, upload their education/training/experience documentation, access a training calendar, and track professional development. For years, the Registry functioned as a key part of the professional development and workforce data system in California.

EveryChild California was the first, non-government, non-profit, to participate as an official training host on the ECE Workforce Registry. We have been a proud supporter of this effort, aligning our professional development to the learning domains of the registry, and providing direct upload of our own training certificates to the registry. We have supported thousands through the registry and so the news of its closure has been very disappointing for everyone who believes in elevating the profession of early learning and care. 

What’s Changing & Why

Due to funding cuts, the ECE Workforce Registry can no longer operate statewide in its current form. CCALA and Registry partners have announced a “ramp down” of services and access.

• Full access will end on December 15, 2025.

• Only individuals and programs in Alameda, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, or San Francisco counties may continue to access the Registry after that date for a limited time as individual agreements with these counties remain in place. 

What This Means for You

If you are an ECE professional with a profile on the Registry, here are some key considerations:

Download and save your records.
You should log in to your Registry account and retrieve all of your important documentation before the deadline. That includes:

• Your Education and Training Report, which lists your training, credentials, qualifications.

• Any uploaded documents (transcripts, certificates, employment history) in the “My Documents” section.

• If you are an employer or administrator: any staff data, reports, training logs you maintain through the Registry.

Make note of the key deadlines.

• By December 15, 2025: Users outside the four counties must complete their downloads. After that date, access may be lost.

• For counties with ongoing local funding (Alameda, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Francisco) access may continue, but you should verify what exactly is available in your county. 

Plan for alternative ways to track your credentials/training going forward.
The CTC will continue to verify professional growth hours as needed with random audits, requiring self-certification of hours. You will want to track your hours and store your certificates as you complete Professional Development Opportunities. 

Why This Matters

• Many training programs, stipends, and professional-development supports have been linked to the Registry’s tracking and verification system. When the Registry winds down, the ease of using it as a “one-stop” system will go away.

• Losing access could mean losing digital records of your professional history. Without those, you may face more work verifying credentials manually.

Review of Next Steps:

• Log in to your Registry profile immediately.

• Download your Education & Training Report.

• Download or save all uploaded documents (certificates, transcripts, employment history).

• If you are an employer or administrator: download staff reports, training logs, any data you maintain in the Registry.

• Save copies in your own files: ideally in more than one location

• Begin creating or updating your own credential-tracking system for future years.

• Communicate to your team: ensure staff know about this change and what they should download/save.

• Consider reaching out to CDE, CDSS or your legislator if you want to highlight how the Registry mattered for you and your colleagues.

What EveryChild California is Doing:

EveryChild California has engaged in countless dialogues on this topic, attempting to shore up support for the registry through various partners, governmental entities, lawmakers and more. We will continue to work with First5 California, CDSS and others to understand any remaining possibilities of supporting this, or a future registry. Additionally, EveryChild California is working to realign our own professional development opportunities so that all our Members will not have to track their professional growth hours beyond what EveryChild CA can provide for you. 

For more information, see a recent e-mail sent by CDSS: https://mailchi.mp/dss.ca.gov/child-care-bulletin-21-11042344?e=00671defda