Commentary

Teaching: Worthy Work With Puny Pay

CSCCE Director Marcy Whitebook is interviewed by Teachstone’s Lisa Rogoff about Worthy Work, STILL Unlivable Wages.

“I enrolled my son in daycare three months ago. He was five months old, and I couldn’t believe I was leaving him in the hands of complete strangers. Since then, I’ve come to adore his teachers for the love they show him and the support they provide to me. I have tremendous respect for their work ethic. I find it challenging to care for my own son, let alone four kids at different developmental stages, and I don’t have to worry about documenting every feeding, diaper change, and nap. One of his teachers goes to school on the weekends and has kids of her own.

So, you can imagine my shock and frustration when I read “Worthy Work, STILL Unlivable Wages,” a new report from the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment that highlights how few improvements there have been to the poverty-level earnings of the child-care workforce. I sat down with lead author and Teachstone guest blogger, Marcy Whitebook, to talk about her findings. If you haven’t read the report, I highly recommend it; and I hope this interview will provide further insight into the challenges the early childhood workforce faces.”