California counties, including Marin, Alameda, and San Francisco, are using child care money from the tobacco tax to provide salary supplements to qualified teachers. In the military, child care workers receive pay that is comparable to that of workers with similar levels of education and experience. Head Start wages are rising in school-sponsored sites as new levels of education are being required. But incremental and isolated progress is not enough. In order to build and maintain a workforce that can deliver the quality our children need, we will have to double or in some cases triple salaries to bring them into line with professional compensation.
Parents can also join, and can encourage their own unions to help.
Anyone can join CCW's Worthy Wage Network . What's good for the child care workforce is good for children. What's good for children is good for our country - its economy and its future. Direct new public and private funds equitably. Raise workers' compensation when education requirements are raised.