A Living Wage: Valued, Healthy and Thriving Teachers and Caregivers of Young Children
Stephanie Martin, Northwest Colorado, Program Administrator, First Impressions of Routt County
Stephanie Martin, Northwest Colorado, Program Administrator, First Impressions of Routt County
Routt County is nestled in the picturesque mountains of northwest Colorado. Locals say families raising young children in our communities is what makes Routt County vibrant, diverse, and unique. With Routt County’s high cost of living, it is no surprise that 77% of families with children under the age of 6 have both parents in the workforce. Community leaders fear that if families cannot access child care, we will become a community of retirees and people without children, ultimately losing what makes Routt County special.
A community’s values are reflected by their investment in programs, which support its constituents. In exploring “How does Routt County support early childhood teachers and caregivers of young children?” it quickly became apparent that while we say we value our diverse and unique communities, examples of how we are supporting early childhood teachers and caregivers of young children are limited. A wide range of community members from early childhood educators to funders shared a handful of ways early childhood teachers and caregivers of young children are supported. Examples included tuition assistance for professional development, quality improvement funding for classroom/program materials, and networking opportunities for early childhood directors/family child care providers. The focus of the action research project was based on how teachers and caregivers are supported, with results showing a critical need to increase wages for the early childhood teachers and family child care provider workforce. A preschool teacher participating in a focus group lamented, "We are losing high quality teachers because of the high education requirements and low pay to higher paying jobs which equals a sustainable career." The vision for Colorado is that all children are valued, healthy, and thriving. A teacher shared the observation that we tend to do the opposite for teachers. In reality, it is expected that overworked teachers and caregivers, with their own unmet needs in understaffed settings, provide children with an optimal learning environment that meets each child’s unique needs. How do we ensure the outcome of all children being valued, healthy, and thriving when this is not the case for their teachers and caregivers? We are at a grave juncture in which innovative solutions are being explored to promote the ability to recruit and retain a high quality early childhood workforce to no avail at this point. Accelerating the time frame in which teachers can become qualified includes getting high school students on the early childhood career pathway as early as possible. A profession that does not pay the bills continually derails our efforts. Research shows that earning a living wage reduces stress for low paid early childhood teachers and caregivers. My question moving forward is, “How do we make equitable pay a reality for early childhood teachers and caregivers of young children?” My leadership learning through the Buell Early Childhood Leadership Program consists of a plethora of leadership tools; expanding my leadership network, deepening my listening practice, along with obtaining a deeper understanding of the field, human nature, and my own strengths and weaknesses. Please join me on my leadership journey to make equitable pay for the early childhood workforce a reality. |