Pre-K Now recently released a report on early-childhood education and teacher preparation. The report states that according to studies, teachers with bachelor's degrees and specialized training in early education are more effective than those educators who don't hold such credentials.

The report concluded that it's not enough to be good with children or to like working with them. Rather, teachers benefit from specific training.

The report also found that some states require no more than a high school diploma for preschool teachers, while others require a bachelor's degree. Other states require a degree with special training or certification in elementary education.

The report recommends that states move toward requiring a bachelor's degree and specialized training in early education, and highlights some models for doing so. States should consider, for example, a tiered phase-in system to allow incremental progress in raising the number of educations with such credentials over time, the report said.

It also recommends creating stronger partnerships between universities and community providers to create avenues to early education certification and licensure.