High-quality, stable early care and education can have long-lasting benefits for both children and society. The COVID-19 pandemic has reaffirmed the importance of the role early educators play as an essential source of support that anchors communities. It also has exposed the underlying fragility and economic vulnerability of the early care and education workforce. Even before the current COVID-19 crisis, early care and education providers faced challenges attracting and retaining well-trained, qualified early educators who reflect the racial, ethnic, and linguistic diversity of the children being served. This deficit of well-trained teachers and staff undermines the ability of early care and education providers to support working families and children's learning and development. Inadequate compensation; demanding, often stressful working conditions; and limited opportunities for education and professional development imperil the stability of the early care and education workforce, which already had high rates of stress, burnout, and turnover that are exacerbated by the pandemic. Innovations at state, local, and provider levels are emerging to meet these challenges. More evidence is needed to understand the effectiveness of these approaches, but many appear promising. This brief focuses on three ways to support the workforce: (1) increasing access to education and career growth; (2) reinforcing workers' overall economic well-being; and (3) improving working conditions. It integrates evidence-based practices and operational insights from MDRC's research in early care and education, as well as years of testing workforce development and training programs, which may help inform the selection and implementation of promising approaches to supporting the workforce. The end of this brief offers some recommendations on effectively supporting the early care and education workforce.