Spotlight on Teacher Wages

Here are excerpts of a Letter to the Editor of Exchange (full letter PDF) from Valora Washington, CEO of the Council for Professional Recognition:

"After watching President Obama’s recent State of the Union address in which he mentioned early childhood education as a top priority, called for a higher federal minimum wage of $10.10 over the next two years and, referred to income inequality as the 'defining challenge of our time,' I am compelled to shine a spotlight on an issue that, while not new, rarely gets the attention it deserves.

"As the chief executive officer for the Council for Professional Recognition, a national assessment and credentialing organization for early care and education practitioners, I have witnessed first-hand the paradoxical nature of teaching.  On one hand, according to the latest research, there is a direct correlation between a well-trained teacher workforce and the performance of our youngsters.  Yet, tragically, the compensation of early educators lags behind the rest of American society.  The initial findings from the October 2013 National Survey for Early Care and Education conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) showed that the median hourly wage for all center-based teachers and caregivers directly responsible for children age zero through five years was $10.60, which translates to about $22,000 annually....

"When we know that staff quality is partly defined by salary, we’ve turned our children — in their most formative years — over to a dedicated, yet underpaid workforce."

Note: The March/April issue of Exchange contains a summary of the National Survey for Early Care and Education.

For more information about Exchange's magazine, books, and other products pertaining to ECE, go to www.ccie.com.

© 2005 Child Care Information Exchange - All Rights Reserved | Contact Us | Return to Site