NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
Back to results
Peer reviewed Peer reviewed
Direct linkDirect link
ERIC Number: ED650171
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Sep-15
Pages: 25
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Compensation and Staffing Challenges in Child Care: Statewide Evidence from Pandemic Relief Applications
Todd Hall; Isabelle Fares; Anna J. Markowitz; Kate Miller-Bains; Daphna Bassok
Grantee Submission
Child care teachers support young children's learning and development and parents' ability to work. However, they earn far less and turn over at far higher rates than K-12 teachers. COVID-19 exacerbated staffing challenges, and the child care workforce was 5.3% smaller in January 2023 than in January 2020. While low compensation likely drives turnover in ECE, there is relatively little large-scale evidence on the link between compensation and staffing challenges. We summarize the limited pre-pandemic evidence and use pandemic-era data from 90% of publicly funded child care centers in Louisiana to describe the relationship between sites' compensation and staffing challenges. In October 2022, 15% of centers' lead teacher positions were unfilled--nearly quadruple the 4% national vacancy rate for public school teachers. Of centers with any vacancies or hires in the past six months, 65% turned families away and 84% hired less experienced or qualified teachers than desired due to staffing challenges. Centers with higher wages were significantly less likely to report staffing challenges, turn families away, and hire less experienced teachers, after controlling for center characteristics and region. Our findings and prior evidence suggest that wage increases are promising for stabilizing the child care workforce. [The paper was published.]
Related Records: EJ1434298
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Louisiana
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305A080326
Author Affiliations: N/A