Early childhood educators fed up and fleeing the job

I just found this video as i am so upset with restaurant workers making $20 an hour starting in April. I only make $21.50😢 AA degree, Site supervisor permit its so sad i might just go flip burgers 😔. We all need to stand together and do something about this.

childhood educators make the same as a young person just starting out in the work force working at a fast-food establishment. We essentially help parents raise and Teach there children . This is the hardest job Teaching, feeding, changing diapers, challenging behaviors the list is endless and the stress level in this industry is very hard on an educator. that is why most skilled educators are leaving they can have the same pay less stress and work, working at the mall.

Wanted to be teachers not ped dough file groomers

Meanwhile here in London we're on £10 a hour and apparently that's considered a good wage.

I rlly,rlly want to get an ece diploma but the pay is holding me back😢

It is very sad that we paid as "baby sitter" It is very hard to live as a professional. My role is special need support in preschool, but paid like no difference with others. However, most of the daycare or preschool doesn't care you have a SNE or not. Because they can use ECEA to do it for less. So, why do you go through more education, more money to get pay less? It is totally an insult.

I can’t do this anymore 😞

I found this as I am thinking of leaving the field since seeing I can make just as much at inn and out. It is so sad considering the years of experience and I have my site supervisor permit. Even if I got my BA in the field it's not worth it.

That would be a nightmare job for me, working with young kids. The mess, the loudness, the songs, the pay! I have so much respect for these workers.

I used to do this job and I LOVED it! I quit back then because my friend made more money watching parked cars!!! I wouldn't do it now because I refuse to confuse children with all the gender identity they would demand I teach BABIES!!! Im not even sure I want GRANDCHILDREN in this crazy world where we offer no stability, not that I have to think about that. Justinflation has made it so my kids don't want to have children they can't afford. Only Justin's rich friends can responsibly bring children into the world as only they can afford them!!!!

Thank you to all the Early Childhood Educators out there. ❤ there needs to be more advocacy around providing support to ECE.

Seriously people dont you understand the power you have? Strike !!! If you strike so many people and industries will be affected. You deserve a pay rise.

I used to be in early childhood industry for five years. High number of students, high medical leave rate, huge amount of stress from the expectations to deliver curriculum perfectly left me exhausted. I went to software engineering and didn't look back for a while.

I wonder if there’s alot of positions at ece facilities that aren’t really contributing at all? Companies I worked at I have always found people getting paid pretty much doing nothing… or if the owners of the day cares are just keeping too much to themselves?
Or just the simple fact that day cares aren’t charging enough…
I really have no idea I just wish these ece professionals can get paid a decent wage.

Maybe we should be looking at why there are so few people who are able to start daycare businesses. On its surface, if you have 20 kids whose parents are paying 1500 a month for daycare, that is an annual income of 360k a year. That is more than enough to pay 2 people a decent wage and cover operating costs. Is it perhaps government regulation that is driving up expenses? If there is such a high demand for child care, why is the supply so limited?

I graduated in 1998, and at the time my instructors told me the burn-out rate was 5 years. I wonder what it is now? I'm older and will have to leave the profession soon, as the physical toll is becoming too much. It has gotten much worse since 2020. I'm very worried about my future. I'm trying to save some money, to go back to school.

This hits the nail on the head, I have been in the field 10 years, its been very challenging. This is a great job financially IF you are just starting out but now that I live on my own and have bills, without my partner I wouldnt make rent. Things need to change from the governements side of things.

Eces received nothing and it’s hard to live on the pay

Pay is low for eces and no respect and is not enough to live on especially now inflation

How could my child receive better care with that sort of teacher to child ratio vs learning at home where they should be anyway. We need to homeschool and people should get paid enough to have one parent at home to do it. I don't trust the US with my black son even if my local preschool is free. America just wants to send money to the military not the schools. All they care is about testing them not about their happiness. No wonder the suicide rates are up and drug abuse. Smh

I get paid 23.54 with benefits and sick leave.

I'm studying early childhood education and god this makes me so sad. I'm considering changing my profession.

Yes; I feel We are underpaid. Lack of Benefits. Yet; We love OUR Babies! Thats why We Don't Leave! I work with 6months to 1 year old. I am thinking hard about leaving in the Fall. We get sick; but we still have to Work. I stay under stress.

Meanwhile, parents are paying an arm and a leg for daycare. So if the caregivers themselves are not getting paid, who is?

I left the field 2 months ago… I have a BAS and wasn’t paid, my hours cut.. now I’m making twice the amount out of the field… have health and 401k plan… I miss the kids but need to look out for myself

The assistant is nobody even with a degree

I am a preschool educator, and from my 6 yrs of working experience, I can confirm this is the most challenging career path, full of stress; mental, physical, and emotional. Every morning I feel like I am going to war! After 5 days of full-time shifts, I sleep like a dead animal till Sunday. Multivitamins, regular gym, whatever fitness rules you are following, nothing will work. In this sector working not only with children but also handling work-politics, which is worst. I am exhausted. Being a single parent, it's not easy to look for a new career. I never recommend choosing this profession, not either to my enemies 😔🙏

This must be one of the hardest vocations on the planet...
And...before you disagree...do this for just one day...and then comment...
I was a Foundation Phase Educator for twenty five years...
In my fourth year of college I had to spend an entire term in this phase...wow...nope...not for me...drained me completely...
Watching my colleagues in this phase throughout my wonderful career left me in awe of their mental...emotional...and physical strength...
Underpaid...
Understaffed...
Underappreciated...
Underrespected...
Undervalued...
The list goes on...
🇿🇦❤️👩🏻‍🏫

You don't need college degrees to baby sit children. Colleges are lying to you. Also they do NOT get paid like they have a college degree. Maybe reality is trying to tell you some thing.

A good education goes a long way, especially during those early years. And the way these undervalued early childhood educators are paid just goes to show how much the leaders in this country care for their next generation. It's sickening.

Scary for me since I’m earning my degree now in early childhood development. 🥺😬

As an ECE teacher I can attest that the work is hard but rewarding. That being said something has got to be done about the pay and long hours. We should get the same pay, and time off as other teachers.

I was never an ECE but I was a teacher untilm2006 when I left. They can't pay me enough to go back to the classroom now.

As a former Early educator myself! Lack of pay! Especially in the state of Florida! The 4 plus years of schooling & continuing eduction training ! Many lack giving there stuff support healthcare benefits ect…. Pay is horrible! With my experience & EDU I’m offered $15-$20 hour sad part rent here in Florida is double my pay. We are not just babysitters !! Without early education specialist many children would lack so much and so would the families. Many families need caregivers and so does the each state especially children who are in the foster care system must be in with a license caregiver.

The crazy thing is I'm making way more as a babysitter than when I used to work in early childhood education (10X the work and taking care of way more kids). The pay is ridiculously low for the things we have to do on a daily basis....still miss and think about the children I used to work with though ❤️

Also any grandparent or mum or even dad who raises kids at home is almost never paid.

Yep. I've done this job. Should be paid about 200 per hour.

I’ve been working in ECE for years, and all of my friends who have different careers get paid way more than I do but don’t do early as much work as me.

As a teacher is messes me up that billionaires have so much money but not our doctors nurses teachers elections etc. we need to start understanding who is actually valuable.

In Ireland is the same story, minimum wage and the teachers need to have L 6 while Healthcare workers have L5 in adult certification. The work is very tiring and demanding. I have never understood why these teachers are not given the credit for their hard work and decent salary. It isn't a babysitting facility...Disgraceful P.S. At the moment I'm studying SNA( special needs assistant) and it's L5, the same curse that I'm doing also includes L6 Child's development and play where they have to do observations, write up IEP plans and assignments but after doing all that, they go to work and get paid the same salary as somebody waiting tables with no qualifications. Maybe they should leave and see if anybody will start appreciating the preschool teachers' work, it's about time.

If there is anything I want my tax dollars to go to it's this. We need to do better.

L know it because my daughter is two get her to write would very month to month it take a lot of work

🙏TELL THE TRUTH AND SHAME THE DEVIL... TELL THE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH... SO HELP US GOD ALMIGHTY🙏

Babysitters? These people see and deal with the children on a more consistent basis than the parents do. Most of the habits, manners and linguistics the children pick up are mainly from school settings, so whoever said these people are "just babysitters" should shut the fk up.

I'm a pre-k teachers assistant, 13.25 an hour is what I make. I got this after being a stay at home mom and I dont necessarily need a job and can continue to stay home but yes the pay is trash.

I closed my childcare center last year after 30+ years because of BURNOUT! And I had to find a higher paying job so I can build up some retirement benefits. I love teaching but hugs won’t pay the bills!🙁

but why are they squishing the poor baby bumblebees? 😢

I worked at an ELC for 5 years and went back to retail. I have a bachelors degree and CDA and was making 9.75 an hour. That was after 5 years and with a raise. We work all year round. There is no summer break, there's no christmas break and no fall break. I had 3 and 4 year olds with 16 kids in my classroom and an assistant teacher. Mostly everything in my classroom, I had to buy with my money. The kids, I love them with all my heart but the wage and respect and everything else wasnt there.

There have been many studies on brain development in young children (ages 1 to 5) which have shown that the stimulation received during this time can dictate how well children preform in school later on. And we all know that academic performance often determines the "success" of someone's career later on. In other words ECEs are laying the ground work for kid's success later in life. By not investing in ECEs we are divesting in the future generation.

Even in Indonesia 😅