WORTHY WAGE DAY RECOGNIZES WORK OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS

Better Compensation Key to Improving Child Care and Preschool

For more information, contact
Sarah Wayne at NAEYC
202-454-7603 or swayne@naeyc.org

WASHINGTON, April 29, 2005, 2005 - May 1st is Worthy Wage Day - a day to honor the individuals who care for, nurture and help educate our young children.

"Good early childhood teachers are the key to a program's quality," said Mark Ginsberg, Ph.D., Executive Director of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. "Yet most earn only $18,000 or less a year, resulting in many talented teachers leaving the field."

Worthy Wage Day is a day of action built on locally-based organizing and outreach that takes place throughout the year. Activities are organized across the country to raise awareness and advocate for more public resources for early childhood educators.

Child care and preschool programs have difficulty attracting and keeping well-educated and trained individuals to work with young children. On a national average, more than a third of program staff leave the field each year, primarily due to the lack of adequate compensation, few benefits, and difficult working conditions. Only 18 occupations out of 770 surveyed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported having lower mean wages than child care workers.

Young children and their families benefit greatly from the work of early childhood teachers and providers. These educators deserve a worthy wage that reflects the skills and responsibilities involved in this vital work with children.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children is the largest and most influential organization of early childhood educators and others dedicated to improving the quality of programs for children from birth through age eight. Founded in 1926, the organization now has 100,000 members, and a national network of nearly 350 local, state and regional affiliates. NAEYC and its affiliates work to improve professional practice and working conditions in early childhood education, and to build public support for high-quality early childhood programs.