Building a Sustainable Workforce: Strategies for Improving Compensation and Working Conditions for Early Childhood Educators

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

The early childhood education (ECE) sector is facing significant economic and staffing challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing issues of low pay, high attrition rates, and inadequate support for educators. This panel presentation brings together three research papers that explore the current state of early childhood education workforce, focusing on strategies to enhance compensation and working conditions for early childhood educators in family care providers, public schools, and an array of public and private ECE providers.

The first paper examines the significant loss of skilled early educator talent, with a particular focus on family child care providers (FCCs) in Massachusetts. This paper highlights the motivations of these new entrants into the field and the barriers they face, such as navigating the licensing process, securing adequate compensation, and balancing work with personal well-being. By collaborating with state agencies and researchers, the study employs mixed methods to gather insights from both new and former FCCs, emphasizing the need for strong relationships and support systems in this relational field.

The second paper presents results from a nationally representative survey of public school-based pre-K teachers. Pre-K teachers in public schools experience high levels of job-related stress, with major contributors being low pay, administrative tasks, and student behavior. The findings compare pre-K teachers’ reported pay, hours worked, and benefits with K-12 teachers nationally, revealing disparities in pay and access to benefits.

The third paper describes systemic challenges facing raising wages for ECE professionals. Despite the high demand for ECE services, many program leaders struggle to raise wages without increasing costs for parents, leading to a market failure. This paper examines recent efforts by states and localities to implement wage increases, particularly through funding from the American Rescue Plan Act. It presents a framework for understanding the decision points and implementation challenges associated with these wage interventions, drawing on case studies from three Bay Area counties in California.

Together, these papers underscore the urgent need for comprehensive strategies to improve the pay and working conditions of early childhood educators in multiple settings. The discussion will include actionable recommendations for policy changes that can support providers and staff across settings, with the view of building a sustainable workforce.  

Policy Area

• Education

Chair

• Laura E Hill, Public Policy Institute of California

Discussant

• Caroline Danielson, Public Policy Institute of California

Organizer

• Laura E Hill, Public Policy Institute of California

Individual Presentations

• Public School Pre-K Teacher Well-Being, Pay, and Intentions to Leave in 2024 and 2025 - Presenting Author: Anna Shapiro, RAND Corporation; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Elizabeth D Steiner, RAND Corporation

• Challenges of Designing and Implementing Wage Increases for Early Educators - Presenting Author: Anna Powell, University of California, Berkeley; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Hyeonjeong Lee, University of California, Berkeley

• Understanding ‘Post-Pandemic’ Family Child Care Providers: Why New Providers Entered the Field and Why Others Left - Presenting Author: Kimberly Lucas, Northeastern University; Presenting Author: Wendy Wagner Robeson, Wellesley College

• The Early Childhood Care and Education Workforce: Trends and Patterns from 1992-2024 - Presenting Author: Monica Agarwal, Northwestern University