Over 400 early childhood education providers from New York State gathered in Albany to fight for universal child care on February 6. The Empire State Campaign for Child Care met with state legislators to request assistance in signing a bill that prominently focuses on increasing the compensation for early childhood educators. The bill would create a permanent state child care fund of $1.2 B.
“The sad truth is that many child care workers and educators are being forced to leave the classroom just so that they can make a livable wage.”
— Brandi House, a teacher at Small World Early Childhood Center
“Most child care workers and early childhood educators are woefully underpaid. Every day at work, we dedicate our time and energy to caring for the city’s young children, yet we don’t get paid enough to care for ourselves and our own families,” said Brandi House, a teacher at Small World Early Childhood Center. “The sad truth is that many child care workers and educators are being forced to leave the classroom just so that they can make a livable wage.”
The New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) relies on community-based organizations (CBOs) to provide 60 percent of all Pre-K for All programs. Early childhood staff working at CBOs are members of the District Council 37 (DC37) union, while public school workers are part of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT). UFT staff have a superior compensation package compared to members of DC37.
In 2016, NYC raised the compensation for NYS-certified teachers working for CBOs to the starting salary for teachers in public schools, but CBO teachers have not received a significant salary increase since. CBO certified teachers make around $17,000 to $36,000 or 30 to 45 percent less yearly than their UFT counterparts.
“The lack of funds to the early childhood sector has had a significant and devastating impact on programs ability to provide high-quality child care to the thousands of children and families due to the unsustainable wages earmarked for early childhood staff,” said Staci White, early childhood director of Small World Early Childhood Center.
The DC37 contract expired in 2020, and a new contract is still under negotiation to eliminate the compensation inequity between public schools and CBOs. The bill presented in Albany on February 6 demands parity for CBO educators and public school teachers in NYS.
“Early child care workers provide a critical service for our community’s children, families, and economy. Yet, they are among the bottom 4% of NY’s wage earners, suppressed by insufficient public funding and an outdated union contract,” said Debra Sue Lorenzen, the youth and education director at St. Nicks Alliance. “They deserve parity with NYC public school teachers for their excellent and vitally important work.”
Child care centers are struggling to hire and retain staff. Decent starting salaries, annual increases, and benefits in parity with the public school system could keep child care centers open.
“The Empire State Campaign is proud of the investment that has been made to increase the number of families who can access child care assistance. The only way to meet that increasing demand is to make a permanent investment in the child care workforce that pays child care educators the thriving wage they truly deserve. When we invest in the child care workforce, we make it possible to recruit and retain educators, and that makes child care more affordable, available, and sustainable for New York’s families,” said a spokesperson for Empire State Campaign for Child Care.
The Greenline 