Examine: Chicago’s early childhood educators paid lower than elementary academics

The Chicago Early Childhood Workforce Partnership Employer Council is urging state and native lawmakers to re-evaluate how they fund early schooling, much like how the state overhauled and elevated Ok-12 funding 5 years in the past.

A funding overhaul is required, the council says, to repair disparities present in a examine it commissioned late final yr to establish pay gaps between early profession educators, public faculty elementary academics, and different job sectors.

Among the many findings from the examine and the council’s coverage place paper launched final week, Chicago’s early childhood educators are paid $18,000 much less on common than elementary faculty academics, regardless of having the identical levels. The hole is even wider for early educators of colour, virtually 4% when in comparison with white educators. Educators in Ok-8 and different industries outdoors of schooling typically obtain higher advantages than early educator academics.

Within the coverage place paper, the council calls on Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, and different state and native elected officers to implement coverage that may improve salaries and pay transparency in early teaching programs, look at gaps between white employees and employees of colour, and supply a 5% cost-of-living improve, amongst different issues.

Creating fairness between academics of infants and toddlers and academics of elementary college students is essential to addressing a staffing disaster, bettering retention, and offering low-income and center class households with top quality care, stated the council. With out higher pay, the council says in its coverage place paper, 1 / 4 of Chicago’s early childhood educators and greater than a 3rd of directors and home-based suppliers are projected to depart the sphere within the subsequent 5 years.

Bela Moté, the president and CEO of the Carole Robertson Middle for Studying and co-chair of the Early Childhood Workforce Partnership stated the examine repeats what early childhood schooling advocates, educators, and suppliers have lengthy been saying and supplies higher knowledge about what is occurring in Chicago.

Her hope is the data will assist the council make its case to lawmakers. 

“We will’t be responsive. We will’t be aggressive. We will’t be equitable if we’re on the mercy of formulation that don’t even contemplate a price of residing.” Mote stated in an interview with Chalkbeat.

The council commissioned the Coverage Fairness Group — a Washington, D.C.-based coverage group — on the finish of final yr to take a look at Chicago’s Head Begin packages. The group surveyed about 500 individuals from non-public, public, and home-based early childhood suppliers in Chicago. The examine centered on wages, advantages, and bonuses in early childhood schooling compared to Chicago Public Colleges. 

Whereas Chicago Public Colleges doesn’t make use of educators that work with youngsters between the ages of 0-3 years outdated, the examine in contrast salaries primarily based on credentials that educators in Ok-12 and early childhood each have — akin to faculty levels {and professional} licenses. 

The examine discovered that the wage vary for academics in Chicago Public Colleges is greater than the wage vary for Head Begin educators. One main hole was discovered within the position of “lead instructor.” The wage vary for entry-level Head Begin lead academics is between $16 to $25 per hour, whereas Chicago Public Colleges lead academics begin at $34.78 per hour. 

The examine additionally in contrast early schooling academics’ pay to different industries akin to transportation, meals providers, nursing, and ride-sharing. It factors out {that a} Head Begin lead instructor might make extra in non-education jobs. As an illustration, the examine discovered, Uber and Lyft drivers begin off incomes $19.01 an hour and Amazon pays between $18 to $24.

The outcomes align with nationwide findings that present early childhood educators in Illinois are paid about 30% much less than public elementary faculty academics in kindergarten via eighth grade regardless of having the identical diploma and license. 

When taking a look at worker advantages, the examine discovered that each early childhood teaching programs and Chicago Public Colleges have good advantages. Nevertheless, Chicago Public Colleges present extra advantages including10 days of paid parental depart, safety underneath the Households and Medical Go away Act for eligible workers, and the flexibility to take the summer season off. 

When taking a look at industries outdoors of schooling, the examine discovered higher advantages and bonuses for staff. In accordance with the examine, Amazon’s advantages embrace medical, dental, imaginative and prescient, prescription drug protection, and parental depart. Amazon supplies as much as $3,000 sign-on bonuses, whereas Lyft gives a $2,000 sign-on bonus for drivers who full 170 rides within the first 30 days and Uber provides drivers $2,400 in earnings for finishing 200 rides/deliveries within the first 30 days in Chicago, the examine says.

Samantha Smylie is the state schooling reporter for Chalkbeat Chicago, overlaying faculty districts throughout the state, laws, particular schooling, and the state board of schooling. Contact Samantha at ssmylie@chalkbeat.org.