The 2020 Early Childhood Workforce Index, a report conducted by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, paints a clear picture of the struggle that U.S. workers who care for children are experiencing. The report found that U.S. child-care workers make $11.65 an hour on average across the nation. For a single adult, this does not amount to a living wage in most states, and, for single adults with one child, it is not a living wage in any states. Relatedly, the report found early educators are nearly eight times more likely to experience poverty than K-8 teachers.
To help enact change, the Early Childhood Workforce Index highlights specific state and federal policies that require updating. Legislative change could help reduce high turnover rates in the profession as well as lessen the financial burden of paying for child care that is placed on parents.