The process of acquiring new knowledge and skills that relate to one's job, duties, or career path is known as professional development. It encompasses all types of learning opportunities, ranging from formal coursework in college, workshops, and conferences to more informal learning opportunities set in practice.

Professional development systems provide consistent and uniform standards for early childhood education (ECE) programs and guide implementation of high-quality services for all children. These comprehensive systems are designed to work across all sectors of private and public early education and care and address many areas of requirements and standards. Registries, alliances, quality ratings, and credentialing and licensing requirements all inform the nature and scope of professional development at the national, state, territory, and local levels. A sustainable system for professional development motivates achieving excellence in early childhood programs for all young children.

While most states have their own professional development systems, the resources below can help build and strengthen this work at the program level.