BETHLEHEM, Pa. — What does $11.85 represent in Lehigh and Northampton counties?
The price of two footlongs at Subway.
The price of a pound of boutique coffee.
The price of a dozen doughnuts.
What’s hard to swallow otherwise is what that figure also represents — the hourly wage of early childhood education teachers.
- A panel discussion on the low hourly wage of Pennsylvania early childhood teachers was held at Univest Public Media Center in Bethlehem on Thursday
- Early childhood teachers in Lehigh and Northampton counties are paid about $11.80 per hour, or about $24,000 a year — well below the cost-of-living threshold
- Early childhood teaching experts say the low wages are causing teachers to leave the profession and causing classrooms to close and a waiting list for children in need of such care
In a 45-minute panel discussion Thursday at Univest Public Media Center in Bethlehem, the dire nature of the industry was outlined in detail by child care executives and teachers.
The event, with Lehigh Valley Public Media Chief Executive Officer Tim Fallon as host, featured data from a new report, “The High Cost of Working in Early Childhood Education.”
It revealed in stark detail the severe financial, professional and mental toll of low wages on early childhood education teachers.
'On the brink of a breakdown of the whole system'
The meager average pay for early childhood teachers translates to about $24,000 a year for educators devoting their lives to caring for children — and struggling to care for their own families because of a critical wage inequity, speakers said.
This translates to educators being forced to take on a second job and apply for government assistance, such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, and Medicaid to make ends meet for their families.
This translates to educators making the gut-wrenching decision to leave a career they love for one with better pay and benefits.
“We are on the brink of a breakdown of the whole system."Betty Druckenmiller, director of Volunteers of America Children’s Center in Allentown
“We are on the brink of a breakdown of the whole system,” said Betty Druckenmiller, director of the Volunteers of America Children’s Center in Allentown, which provides affordable early childhood programs for ages 13 months to 10 years.
Statistics from more than 1,100 child care programs surveyed by the state Department of Labor and Industry and the Office of Child Development and Early Learning paint a grim picture of the industry currently and moving forward.
- In 100% of Pennsylvania's 67 counties, earnings failed to meet the cost of living.
- 54% of respondents said they don’t have an emergency fund to cover three months of expenses, and 44% said they had to borrow money to cover basic expenses.
- Low wages and lack of benefits have resulted in 3,980 open staff positions.
- 1,600 classrooms have closed.
- 80% of programs in Lehigh County and 96% in Northampton County reported staffing shortages, resulting in a combined 1,500 children placed on waiting lists.
- More than 38,000 children are on waiting lists because of staff shortages.
Support slow to come
Mai Miksic is the early childhood education policy director for Children First, which develops initiatives and advocates for quality health care, child care, public education, and family stability.
On Thursday, she reported that the survey showed that because of low wages, almost half of child care workers today say they will leave their current position within five years.
That's an alarming figure, considering the extent of the current child care shortage.
“The only way forward is more public investment,” Miksic said. “We must invest in early educators.”
Government support has been slow to come.
Children First last year urged the state Legislature to allocate $115 million of the state’s budget surplus to raise the hourly wage of child care workers by $2 an hour.
Last year, President Biden pushed Congress to approve major investments in child care, including funding for free, universal preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds nationwide.
But Republicans in Congress blocked the plan, eventually leading to Biden dropping the investments from a later iteration of a domestic spending plan Congress passed.
'Where my heart is'
About 32,500 children in Pennsylvania are on waiting lists for childcare centers, according to a study conducted by Start Strong PA, which advocates for access to child care statewide.
The study also shows 91% of child care facilities are short on staff, and there are about 7,000 open child care positions available statewide not being filled.
Angie Edwards is a lead teacher for four years at Resurrected Life Children’s Academy in Allentown, which provides ages 6 weeks through kindergarten with diverse educational opportunities.
She said she left a career as a dental hygienist five years ago because she felt unfulfilled because “this is where my heart is.”
'What is your child's education worth?'
However, Edwards said the child care industry is in peril when teachers are not paid even $12 an hour.
“Trying to find workers who are educated people, who understand a classroom and our vision for children is not going to happen when you’re paying $12.50 an hour,” she said.
“Especially when you can go to Target and make $20 an hour.
“We’re helping children learn and address their social and emotional well-being. But when workers have an outside market offering a way bigger salary, how do you compete with that? We need a way to pay teachers more."
"You have to ask, what is your child’s education worth?”
Verhonda Johnson is a teacher at Children of Joy Christian Academy in Allentown. She has five children, including a 9-month-old who attends child care. She said that without access to child care, she wouldn’t be able to hold down a job.
She added that the disturbing turnover in child care teachers has a negative impact on the children.
“The continuity of care is important to the kids,” Johnson said.
“It means a lot to have the same teachers there. My son has had three teachers already. They’re all lovely, but it would be better to keep them. I’d love for them to get paid more.”
