Why doesn't pay for early childhood educators stack up?
Early childhood educators earn significantly less than teachers of older children, and often make so little that they qualify for public benefits, by the United States Department of Education.
The gap between teachers in early child care, preschool, and Head Start positions and their counterparts in kindergarten and above is wide, especially considering the impact that early education has been shown to have on children's educational and eventual career success. The Education Department study compared early educators鈥� wages to those of tree trimmers, parking lot attendants, and janitors, a disparity noted by department secretary John B. King, Jr.
鈥� flies in the face of what we know about brain development and the optimal time for learning. Educating children before kindergarten requires significant knowledge, expertise, and skill 鈥� especially in light of the critical importance of the early years for children's growth, development, and future academic and life success,鈥� Mr. King said in a release on the study.
鈥淭his report is a call to action for all of us,鈥� he added.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, preschool teachers (excluding those in special education) earned a , about 55 percent less than the聽annual median wage of . Elementary and middle school teachers鈥� median wages are slightly higher, at $54,890 and $55,860 per year, respectively. The report also noted that 97 percent of early childhood educators are women.
The low pay contrasts with the importance of such positions in providing a foundation for students鈥� education, as well as with the pay of similarly qualified jobs in other fields. The Department noted that 鈥渆arly learning caregivers and teachers with a Bachelor's degree earn nearly half the average earnings of individuals with a Bachelor's degree overall,鈥� despite the qualification equivalence. And even though most education institutions have upped their requirements for employees鈥� training and education level, wages have not risen.
鈥淲age parity across settings is critical to attracting and retaining a high-quality workforce, essential for a high-quality program,鈥� said Linda Smith, the Administration for Children & Families鈥� deputy assistant secretary for early childhood development, in the release.
The large pay gap could partially be explained by a societal view of early childhood teachers as less skilled or essential than educators in the official K-12 cycle, more like a caregiver or nanny than a teacher.聽But has shown that 鈥渢he work of all lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies,鈥� a fact not backed by early educators鈥� lowered public perception. That difference 鈥渃ompromises the quality of learning experiences for young children,鈥� according to the Education Department.
鈥淎 teacher's salary level reflects how the work is valued by society. To maximize the potential of our young children and the educators and programs that serve them, we must do more to support and lift up preschool teachers,鈥� said Libby Doggett, deputy assistant secretary for Policy and Early Learning. Dr. Doggett said her experience showed educators with incentives to become more qualified ended up improving their teaching and 鈥渃lassroom management.鈥�
鈥淎s a nation, we must do better to honor early childhood educators as professionals,鈥� said Doggett.
