Report: NC Childcare Workers Making Low Wages

A national report released Tuesday claims although childcare workers are better educated and are expected to know more about child development, almost half of them use public assistance because of low wages.

Child care advocates say early child care workers stand out because their wages have been stunted far longer, even though wages overall have been stagnant in most industries.

One of the authors of the report from the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at the University of California at Berkeley said many people wrongly equate the type of work that goes on in child care centers with babysitting. The report states that teachers of young children need to have a certain level of knowledge, as well as the skills that teachers of older children possess.

The Raleigh News and Observer notes that advocates say there's no simple solution for raising wages because working parents can't afford to pay more. The report calls for a reassessment of early care and education policies that would include “a dedicated source of public funds” to increase salaries and guidelines for workplace standards and early childhood teachers.