Source: CS Monitor
The US Department of Education released a new report revealing wages for preschool teachers are drastically lower compared to wages of educators for K-12, despite studies proving the impact of early education for cognitive development.
Institutions have considerably increased the requirements for all educators, yet have not proportionately adjusted wages, resulting in preschool teachers earning about 55 percent less than kindergarten teachers, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2015, preschool teachers in the US earned a median wage of $28,570 compared to kindergarten teachers, $51,640, and the report noted that many of these educators qualify for public benefits because they earn so little.
Despite the impact of early education, the pay gap for preschool teachers, early childcare, and Head Start suggest that our nation undermines their importance and even overlooks data that supports their significant contribution to a child’s success, explains Secretary of Education, John B. King Jr.
Equal pay is significant to retain high quality educators that create high quality programs across the entire education system.
Read full story at: CS Monitor