Advocacy...wage increase for those who work with children?

Question

I am a 23 year old college student earning a degree in Child Dev. Administration hoping to one day open my own preschool. For one of my classes, I am currently researching Advocacy & the way in which it can affect current issues & policies of child care.

Having worked in many child care & education environments, I share the frustration with others in the issue of LOW wages of child care teachers & aids. People in this position often make only minimum wage & are expected to put in hours comparable to those of jobs which pay MUCH more...

Turnover rates in Child Care & Education Environments are not only high- they are growing...Teachers who love to teach children & aid in their education are growing more & more frustrated because they can barely afford to live on what they are paid...

As the popular saying goes, "Parents can't afford to pay, Teachers can't afford to stay...There's got to be a better way..."

What do you think can be done to help advocate for wage increases

The advocacy I am specifically speaking about is that of teachers who teach pre-k children, etc.

More and more studies are showing that children develop better and are more successful later in school and eventually in life when they are included in a quality child care program environment before starting school...

Answer 1

I wish I had a good answer for this great question. I have worked in childcare and education for almost 10 years and I strongly agree that those that do these important jobs are severely underpaid. I currently own my own in-home daycare, it's great for me because I get to stay home with my two children but I have to be honest, I don't make ANYTHING. I currently have 3 children (in addition to my own children) and I bring in about $210 a week, that's GROSS income. Then I have to set aside tax money and cover my expenses for the daycare and that leaves me with next to nothing. Fortunately my husband keeps us afloat for now. Prior to opening my daycare I worked in several licensed daycare facilities, and worked in a special education behavior disabilities classroom. I didn't get paid much more for doing that either, and I worked some of the most challenging Kindergartners and 1st graders in the entire school district.

It's sad but that's the way it is for nearly everyone working in childcare and education. I'm not sure what can be done, but I certainly hope someone can come up with something.

Thank you for putting this out there and letting it be known what huge problem this is!

Answer 2

That's an interesting saying that you have there. "Teachers can't afford to stay." A capitalist economy survives by motivating people to fill vital needs by paying them more to do what is needed. Obviously teachers are necessary, and almost everyone agrees that education is very important. So why do teachers get paid so little (I've NEVER EVER heard of a teacher or even a janitor getting paid minimum wage . . . you must be talking about a babysitter)? Could it be that there is a surplus of teachers in many subjects and grade levels? Or perhaps that they get two months off every year? I might want to retrain to become a teacher one day, but I just don't see this as a very political issue. If there are not enough people available to teach, the government will HAVE to raise the wages to attract people if it is to continue providing that service. Until that happens, society has spoken (with its money) and indicated that those people are more needed in other fields. That's one reason I don't generally support high minimum wages. Workers should not be shortchanged, but the minimum wage should not necessarily be a living wage. Good night!

Answer 3

Economics 101: Increase the demand or decrease the supply. So long as there are plenty of people willing to do it for low wages it will never change.

Of course, you could always have a government mandate for higher wages, but that will increase costs and leave parents without child care. Then you could take tax dollars to subsidize it for the people who can't pay which increases the burden on those who cannot pay. You can see the vicious cycle that creates.

You could get experience, more education, and some great references to become a private nanny to a rich family who will pay for good service.

Answer 4

I feel for teachers, but I also think they go into the profession knowing it is not the best paying. Children spend 180 days per year in school, teachers work a few more days than that each year through inservice days and parent-teacher, but most people with full time jobs work closer to about 250 days per year. Teachers are allowed to work their way up the pay scale through years of service and more education. I'm not saying that current pay is enough, but teacher's get a lot of benefits through fewer work days per year.

Answer 5

it is a good question, but before daycare teachers get a pay increase, classroom teachers should get a pay increase. not all childcare workers make minimum wage.