Cross-Sector Differences in the Well-Being of the Early Childhood Workforce: New Evidence From Louisiana

• In Event: Early Education Programs, Teacher Well-Being, and Children's Development

Abstract

High-quality early care and education (ECE) programs can have a profound impact on children’s lifelong wellbeing. It is increasingly recognized that early educators are the most critical driver of ECE quality, and therefore problematic that the United States’ ECE workforce is characterized by limited training, very low pay, and, in turn, high levels of poverty, stress, and turnover.

A 2015 National Academies of Sciences report identified increased compensation and effective leadership in ECE settings as two promising strategies for supporting early educators and, in turn, young child children. Unfortunately, our understanding of the ways in which compensation and leadership influence teachers’ wellbeing is limited due to lack of data, particularly across the diverse range of publicly-funded ECE programs including state pre-kindergarten, subsidized child care, and Head Start. This lack of comparable cross-sector data is problematic given known differences across sectors; and it prevents the effective use of policy levers to generate appropriate supports for early educators across program settings.

The Study of Early Educators in Louisiana, addressed this problem by surveying all lead and assistant teachers working in every publicly-funded setting in two large Louisiana parishes. We use data from the study’s first wave, which achieved response rates of over 80% (N≈900).

In this study, we (1) describe ECE teacher wellbeing defined as food security, ability to pay for necessities, depressive symptoms, and job satisfaction; (2) identify cross-sector differences in wellbeing, compensation (wages and available benefits), and program leadership; and (3) explore whether cross-sector differences in compensation or leadership explain differences in wellbeing. We use 3 leadership scales drawn from the Ounce of Prevention’s Early Education Essentials survey measuring teachers’ perceptions of their leader’s ability to: make coherent programming decisions, manage an ECE program, and support instruction. See table notes for information on variable coding and modeling strategy.

We find that 53% of early educators reported some level of food insecurity; that teachers on average could not meet 2 of their basic needs; and that 23% reported levels of depressive symptoms above clinical cutoffs. Less than 50% of teachers strongly agreed with statements that they “enjoy their job” and feel they “make a difference.”

These patterns differ by sector, with child care teachers more likely to be food insecure and to struggle to meet basic needs, and somewhat less likely to enjoy their jobs or feel they make a difference. Pre-kindergarten and Head Start teachers earn about $6 more per hour than childcare teachers (m= $9.56); and receive more benefits. However, child care teachers rate their leadership more highly than pre-kindergarten or Head Start teachers.

Finally, both leadership and compensation are associated with teacher wellbeing. Cross-sector differences in compensation, but not leadership, drove the more negative wellbeing outcomes for child care teachers.

These findings provide new evidence that program leadership is directly related to ECE teachers’ wellbeing, but also suggests that for child care programs finding ways to support the financial wellbeing of early educators will be essential to creating the kind of workforce that can effectively support children’s development.

Authors

• Anna J Markowitz, University of California Los Angeles

• Daphna Bassok, University of Virginia