Getting Results for Young Children: Invest in their Teachers

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is a statement by Valora Washington, Chief Executive Officer, Council for Professional Recognition, Washington, D.C.:

After watching President Obama's recent State of the Union address in which he mentioned early childhood education as a top priority, called for a higher federal minimum wage of $10.10 over the next two years and, referred to income inequality as the "defining challenge of our time," I am compelled to shine a spotlight on an issue that, while not new, rarely gets the attention it deserves.

As the chief executive officer for the Council for Professional Recognition, a national assessment and credentialing organization for early care and education practitioners, I have witnessed first-hand the paradoxical nature of teaching. On one hand, according to the latest research, there is a direct correlation between a well-trained teacher workforce and the performance of our youngsters. Yet, tragically, the compensation of early educators lags behind the rest of American society.

The initial findings from the October 2013 National Survey for Early Care and Education conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) showed that the median hourly wage for all center-based teachers and caregivers directly responsible for children age zero through five years was $10.60, which translates to about $22,000 annually. Additionally, the report pointed out that "wages for college-educated [early childhood education] teachers and caregivers are much lower than for comparably educated workers in the overall economy." Even Head Start teachers with graduate degrees are paid at rates lower than kindergarten teachers in public schools, according to the National Institute for Early Education Research.

When we know that staff quality is partly defined by salary, we've turned our children—in their most formative years—over to a dedicated, yet underpaid workforce.

In "Subprime Learning: Early Education in America since the Great Recession," a January 2014 report released by  New America, the authors wrote that, while improving teacher effectiveness has garnered increased attention and some progress is evident in teacher credentialing and preparation, parity in pre-K teacher pay has been largely ignored.

"In 2010," the report states, "the median pay for a teacher of children aged three to five was $25,700. For a family of four, that is barely above the federal poverty level."

Since 1975, the Council has offered The Child Development Associate (CDA) National Credentialing Program™, which represents expert consensus about what early childhood educators should know to excel in their field. Additionally, we have long advocated a change in the way teachers are compensated, and we've seen how some states are trying to address this challenge. Most states that have compensation and retention initiatives typically tie stipends and/or salary enhancements to early care and education training, obtaining credentials like our CDA, or college degrees, according to HHS's National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center. All of these states have a sliding scale of monetary incentives based on increased levels of completed training, credentials or degrees. However, these programs can only go as far as their funding, with some forced to deny participation when all funds are allocated.

We call on our elected officials, philanthropic organizations, business leaders and everyone who has a stake in the matter to identify additional ways to compensate our early care practitioners with the salary and benefits they richly deserve.

In last year's State of the Union address, the president said: "Study after study shows that the earlier a child begins learning, the better he or she does down the road.  But here's the thing:  We are not doing enough to give all of our kids that chance."

Investing in the fair compensation of early childhood educators is important to reach that goal.

Valora Washington
Chief Executive Officer
Council for Professional Recognition
Washington, D.C.

About the Council for Professional Recognition:
The Council for Professional Recognition, based in Washington, DC, promotes improved performance and recognition of professionals in the early childhood education of children ages birth to 5 years old. The Council works to ensure all professional early childhood educators and caregivers meet the developmental, emotional, and educational needs of our nation's youngest children.

The Council recognizes and credentials professionals who work in all types of early care and education programs – Head Start, pre-K, infant-toddler, family child care, and home visitor programs. The Council administers a unique teacher credentialing process which results in the award of the Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential™. The program uses a specific set of time-tested, research-based tools to determine early childhood teacher competency, based on multiple sources of evidence.

For more information visit: http://www.cdacouncil.org

SOURCE Council for Professional Recognition