close
close

votetostopthecuts

latest hiits news

htnews

New report shows child care workers making poverty wages struggle to pay bills • NC Newsline

By Hudson Brooklyn
New report shows child care workers making poverty wages struggle to pay bills • NC Newsline

Child care workers in every state are struggling to make ends meet on poverty wages, despite the important work they do, according to a new report from the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) at the University of California, Berkeley.

Low wages threaten the well-being of early childhood educators and create “devastating financial security well into retirement,” according to authors from the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE). Early Childhood Workforce Index 2024 said.

Lea Austin (Photo: Center for the Study of Child Care Employment)

“How early childhood educators are treated impacts how our children learn,” the Workforce Index authors said. “Ensuring the working conditions and well-being of educators enables them to thrive as teachers and caregivers during the most important years of a child’s life.”

In North Carolina, the average hourly wage for an early childhood educator was $12.31, the report’s authors found using data from the 2022 American Community Survey. Meanwhile, the living wage for a single adult in the state was $15.82. dollars per hour, meaning there is a living wage gap of 22%, or $3.51, for single early childhood educators.

The study found that the poverty rate for the state’s early childhood educator workforce was 12.6% in 2022. Additionally, 43% of early childhood educator households in North Carolina participate in one or more public safety net programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicaid. According to the report, early childhood educators were 4.8 times more likely to live in poverty than elementary and middle school teachers.

The Workforce Index shows that at national level:

  • Educators earn an average wage of $13.07 per hour, ranging from $10.60 in Louisiana to $18.23 in the District of Columbia.
  • These hourly rates do not constitute a living wage for a single adult in any state.
  • Nearly half (43%) of child care families survive on public assistance such as food stamps and Medicaid.

“Imagine the impact of public investments that adequately compensate early educators for their important work,” said Lea Austin, CSCCE executive director and co-author of the report. “We would see a more stable workforce and families would be able to find quality, affordable care.”

Emma Biggs speaks at a rally
Emma Biggs addresses the child care crisis during a rally in Raleigh. (Photo: Greg Childress)

Emma Biggs, a Charlotte daycare provider and child care advocate, told NC Newsline in June that many tEveryone in private institutions works without health insurance or pension plans.

“I’ve been in this field for 27 years and have none of that,” Biggs said. “Independent centers, we can’t afford the pension and health insurance.”

Just before the pandemic, Biggs said, her center could no longer pay for employee health care. However, the salary was so low that most employees were eligible for health insurance under the federal Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).

“Nobody goes into this business to make money,” Biggs said. “We have a passion for it and it’s a calling for us, but we need to be able to pay our bills and keep our doors open.”

Biggs was among dozens of day care providers and child care advocates who rallied in Raleigh over the summer to urge lawmakers to provide $300 million in emergency funding for child care stabilization grants to soften the grounding of centers as the federal COVID-19 pandemic hit -Aid funds were running out.

The federal government has pumped $1.3 billion into North Carolina during the pandemic to keep child care facilities operating. The grants, funded by the federal American Rescue Plan 2021, expired in June. The Republican-led General Assembly appropriated $67.5 million through Dec. 31 to close the gap.

Gov. Roy Cooper
Gov. Roy Cooper (file photo)

Gov. Roy Cooper warned last month that the state’s day care centers, teachers and parents will be in trouble if the Legislature doesn’t provide additional funding to stabilize them financially.

“North Carolina relies on quality early childhood education and child care to support children’s healthy development and learning, keep parents working and businesses running,” Cooper said in a news release. “But these programs are now in crisis and we need to step up legislation and make real investments before more child care centers close, more educators quit and the programs become unaffordable for too many parents.”

Cooper noted that the grants currently support 3,763 early childhood education and child care centers nationwide. A recent national survey found that almost a third of these centers are at risk of closure if funding runs out. Without additional money, providers say they will lose teachers, have problems hiring and be forced to raise fees.

North Carolina lost 116 child care centers last year, according to a news release from the Cooper administration.

Meanwhile, the authors of the Workforce Index found that the loss of COVID-era federal funding has worsened conditions for child care providers and teachers across the country.

Caitlin McLean
Caitlin McLean (Photo: Center for the Study of Child Care Employment)

“We are at a crossroads,” said the report’s lead author, Caitlin McLean, CSCCE director of multistate and international programs. “Federal child care relief funds are gone, and November’s elections will bring new leadership in 2025 and beyond. For these qualified educators whose support is so important to children, families and the economy, this is a critical time to step up, not return.”

The authors claim the report confirms that early childhood educators have one of the lowest-paying jobs in the country.

“They earn less than 97% of all other jobs,” they said. “As difficult as it is for anyone in America to be an early childhood teacher, the conditions are equally difficult for black and Latino women, who on average earn up to $8,000 less each year than their peers, even if they have one have equivalent educational qualifications.”

The report authors recommended the following measures to improve daycare centers and working conditions for teachers.

  • Invest in direct public funding to provide early childhood educators with a living wage, health care, and a safe, supportive work environment. For an estimate of a values-based budget for each state, see Financing the quality of early childhood educators.
  • Prioritize compensation standards and a wage floor across all settings so that no one working in early care and education earns less than the regionally established living wage. Create a wage/salary scale that sets minimum standards for pay, taking into account job role, experience and education level.
  • Adopt system level Workplace standards This includes, for example, guidance on appropriate paid vacation and sick leave, paid planning and professional development time, and mental health and teaching support.

Related posts:

'Joy' Review: Thomasin McKenzie Charms in This Serious British Fertility Drama - London Film Festiva...
Poldark's Aidan Turner on 'refreshing' sex scenes in new drama
Woman sexually assaulted near Brown Street

By Hudson Brooklyn

Related Post

htnews

Israeli invasion of the northern Gaza Strip: Stray dogs eat the dead on the streets, says the head of the rescue service

Hudson Brooklyn Oct 16, 2024
htnews

Man accused of making threats says he believed social media reports about FEMA’s refusal to help

Hudson Brooklyn Oct 16, 2024
htnews

Five people were killed and one was seriously injured in a serious accident in Fannin County

Hudson Brooklyn Oct 16, 2024

You Missed

htnews

Israeli invasion of the northern Gaza Strip: Stray dogs eat the dead on the streets, says the head of the rescue service

htnews

Man accused of making threats says he believed social media reports about FEMA’s refusal to help

htnews

Five people were killed and one was seriously injured in a serious accident in Fannin County

htnews

Hezbollah attack strikes IDF again: Many Israelis injured in rocket attack, days after deaths at army base