Who are Our Early Childhood Educators?

Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/who-are-our-early-childhood-educators/5021615/

We finally have a clear snapshot on this nation’s early childhood teachers and caregivers, thanks to the report recently released by the federal Administration of Child and Families, “Number and Character­istics of Early Care and Education Teachers and Caregivers: Initial Findings from the National Survey of Early Care and Education.” This survey collected information in 2012 from a scientific sampling of ­individuals providing direct care and education for children birth through five years. While the report neglected some key pieces of information, it does provide a unique snapshot of our ­workforce.

Where Do Teachers Work?

The researchers estimated that in the United States there are one million teachers working in approximately 130,000 early childhood centers. In addition, another one million individuals are paid for their educational caregiving work in home-based settings.

On the center-based side, teachers work in a variety of settings. Nearly 3 in 5 of the teachers work in independent centers (centers that receive no funding from the public schools, Head Start, or Public Pre-K programs). Twenty percent work in Public Pre-K programs, 15% in Head Start programs, and 6% in school-sponsored programs (see Table A). In the home-based sector, over 90% of the educators work in unlisted home-based settings outside ...