Districts trying to address budgets and service delivery uncertainties posed by the COVID-19 crisis may minimize priority on collaborations with local educator preparation programs (EPPs). In fact, school districts may shy away from welcoming preservice teacher candidates, avoiding what they perceive as an added burden on overtaxed teachers and overwhelmed administrators. However, collaborations between school districts and EPPs on teachers' initial preparation and ongoing professional development can leverage resources and expertise to achieve outcomes that would not be realized without productive cooperation. Published as a collaboration across the Great Teachers and Leaders (GTL) Center, Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability and Reform (CEEDAR) Center, and American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), this paper argues that teacher candidates should be considered an asset in school buildings, and may help to alleviate potential and ongoing teacher shortages in many content areas.