According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, The median
hourly wage of childcare workers was $9.28 ($19,300 per year) in May 2010. The
lowest 10 percent earned less than $7.65, and the top 10 percent earned more
than $14.08. The median annual wage of postsecondary teachers was $62,050 in
May 2010. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $30,720, and the top 10
percent earned more than $130,510.  |
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/childcare-workers.htm#tab-2
|
As working with young children, we all know,
teacher pay a lot attention and labor to teach young children in the classroom.
Teacher conduct the lesson plan, supervisor children at all time which means
teacher need high responses for children safety and healthy. It is not easy or
less time consumes compared to that of the secondary school teacher. What cause
the difference of salary? "When working with infants and toddlers,
childcare workers care for babies’ basic needs by changing diapers and
preparing meals." this statement has brought me the sigh of babysitter as
most parent thought about teachers of young children! The Unite States Bureau
of labor Statistics would not use the term of early childhood educator to refer
the workforce in the early childhood field, rather than use the term of child
caregiver. I believe this statement has the hidden information of bias and
prejudice of early childhood educator.
Let's take a look of a video.
The baby in the video does not go to sleep until she lays her
front on her dad’s belly or breast. Most people would say she is cute and needs
dad’s love and care. How dad loved her... As early childhood educator, I know
this girl’s sleep habit reflected her unsafe sense of dad’s leaving. She might
not get to the well deep sleep period which helps her brain development. She
was staying in the light sleep period and worrying if her dad would leave. Any
action from dad could cause her wake up. She needs a professional of early
childhood educator to help of getting ride of that sleep habit. More than
that, a professional would be helping her developing the cognitive,
social-emotional, and languages skills while were helping her sleep. I believe
the work of an early childhood educator is similar with the sower. The development
of children within their first early 3 years is very important. The work of a
secondary teacher is similar with the harvesters. Compared to secondary
teachers, the early childhood teacher should be respected equally. Their salary
should not have so much difference.
I do not have the solution for national to respect to early
childhood teachers. I do not know how to pursue the national to get ride of
bias and prejudice to the early childhood teacher. I believe that you harvest
what you sow. If people do not think the early child teacher is important and
do not respect to their effort of helping children, they will see something
missing that should have learned in their early childhood years when they grow
up.
Reference
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). (2012). Postsecondary
Teachers. Retrieved from
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/postsecondary-teachers.htm
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). (2012). Childcare Workers.
Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/childcare-workers.htm