This is the executive summary for the report, "From Unlivable Wages to Just Pay for Early Educators." Teaching in early care and education (ECE) programs is one of the lowest-paid occupations in the United States. Low wages for early educators are not a new challenge. Compensation has been low in this field since its inception, but only…

Many pre-K teachers across the nation are expected to earn a bachelor's degree, similar to their peers teaching older children. Yet salaries and benefits remain consistently lower for pre-K teachers than for elementary school teachers. Increasingly, compensation parity is perceived as an achievable policy goal rather than a lofty ideal, yet there…

As a private child care center owner, administrator, and teacher, the author has come across many issues that seem impossible to resolve or manage in positive ways. These issues have included adapting curricula, scheduling, budgeting, dealing with many different agencies, educating families, educating staff, and, among other countless issues,…

The history of kiwi men's participation in paid early childcare and teaching work has not been documented to date. But what can be learned from the New Zealand experience may be helpful internationally in the movement towards greater male representation in early years work. This paper provides a brief recent history only, highlighting issues that…

This article provides an overview of what constitutes good-quality early care and education (ECE) and the staff costs embedded in these quality indicators. Caregiving adults and teachers are the foundation of quality in ECE, and their wages make up 70% of operating costs. Yet in 2000 only 18 of more than 700 occupations in the U.S. reported …

This report compiles the most recent salary and benefits data available for the U.S. Child care workforce. Data for average wages of preschool teachers and child care workers are presented for each state. Comparisons between median hourly wages for child care jobs and other occupations are presented graphically. Initiatives at the federal, state,…

This report presents the most recent salary and benefits data available for the U.S. child care workforce. Median level child care salaries are compared to the median salaries of other occupations. In addition, data for average wages of preschool teachers and child care workers are presented for each state, with information on wages available by…

This report presents the most recent salary and benefits data available for the U.S. child care workforce. Mean and median level child care salaries are compared to the median salaries of other occupations. In addition, data for average wages of preschool teachers and child care workers are presented for each state, with information on wages…

In this article, the author discusses how kindergarten is close to being universal across the United States. More than half (56%) of the children who are attending kindergarten are in full-day programs. Whether they are in full-day programs or half-day programs, the kindergartners certainly do daily work in the areas of reading and language arts.…

As Arizona strives for a first-rate educational system, the foundation of care and education for our youngest children remains far too weak. This new report, "A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona's Early Care and Education Workforce," marks ten years of data on trends in the wages, benefits, and education levels…

This article reports findings from a recent "Exchange" Insta-Poll on Early Childhood Wages in North America. This survey was conducted on the "Exchange" web site, www.ChildCareExchange.com, from April 14-30, 2004. Over 900 early childhood professionals from 50 states, the District of Columbia, and 10 Canadian provinces provided…

Recruiting and retaining good teachers ranks as one of the most significant roadblocks to solving the preschool quality crises facing the country. Evidence points to the low wages and benefits offered to preschool teachers as the single most important factor in hiring and keeping good teachers. This policy brief examines what is known about the…

Research shows that preschool produces the strongest effects when teachers are well qualified. Noting that most Head Start preschool teachers do not hold even the minimum teaching degrees required to teach kindergarten, this policy brief looks at the costs of putting highly qualified teachers in Head Start classrooms to improve the effectiveness…

Low compensation, in both earnings and benefits, and the resulting high turnover of staff and low quality of programs in early childhood care and education are a national problem. Noting that how we define and view the problem, and the strategies we adopt to solve it, may differ depending on perspectives and disciplines, this paper expands the…

Despite rising demand for high-quality child care, the norm for early childhood staff is low salaries, few benefits, and difficult working conditions. This article provides an overview of compensation of early childhood professionals, and describes some state and local initiatives that address the need for funding and policies that support a…