What Low Pay Results in

Most of us who work in early childhood education feel strongly that the work we do is valuable, even essential, to the well-being of children and society. Yet it is hard to hold on to this belief when it is not reflected in the salaries that we receive or in the respect and prestige accorded to us in our society.

Because most programs for young children are paid for directly by parents and not by public funds, salaries for teachers in programs for children under five and in many private schools tend to be much lower than those paid teachers in public schools who do comparable work. Low salaries are also a reflection of general lack of awareness of the importance of the early years and of the value of having well-trained and competent people working with young children. Because it is so difficult to make an adequate living as a teacher of young children and because caring for children has traditionally been viewed as women's work, very few men choose to enter the field, even though there are some who would find it rewarding. Low pay also results in high staff turnover, and this is especially unfortunate because it undermines the stability of adult-child relationships.

Early childhood education affects an extremely large group of people, including children, parents, and educators. The percentage of working mothers of children under six is growing faster than that of any other group of working mothers. This may justify the development of more state-funded preschool programs.