Child
care workers' education declines
N.J. sees level drop but still
ranks high
Thursday, September 15, 2005 • By PEGGY O'CROWLEY
• Star-Ledger Staff
The number of college-educated child care
workers has dropped steadily over 20 years as the number of
children in day care has exploded, raising questions about
the overall quality of supervision, according to a national
study released today.
While the national picture looks bleak,
New Jersey's day care staff is among the most qualified in
the nation, according to Stephen Herzenberg, an economist
and researcher for the study, "Losing Ground in Early
Childhood Education: Declining Workforce Qualifications in
an Expanding Industry."
"New Jersey has always been historically
higher," he said. While the national average of teachers and
administrators with a four-year degree is 30 percent, the
rate at state child care centers is 45 percent, the study
said. However, that figure is down from 1980, when the state
rate was 54 percent.
The study, the first to document changes
in the education of child care staff, looked at teachers and
administrators at centers from 1979 to 2004. From the early
'80s until now, those with a college education dropped from
43 to 30 percent, nationally. At the same time, the industry
exploded -- more than doubling its work force to
400,000.
The finding is significant because of
mounting evidence that high-quality early childhood
education -- including well-trained staff and low staff
turnover -- helps children do better in school, as well as
later in life.
"I think what this study does is validate
what folks in the field know has happened for quite a few
years. They've now got the goods when it comes to making the
case that these qualifications are far too low," Herzenberg
said. "It's penny- wise and pound foolish."
Ironically, the decline in college-
educated staff is directly linked to the increase of young
children in day care. As more opportunities for
higher-paying jobs opened up to women, female college
graduates shunned traditionally female careers, such as
early childhood care.
In 2004, the average hourly pay for a
college-educated teacher or administrator in a child care
center was $10, compared to $19.23 for all female college
graduates, the study said. A bit more than one-quarter
received health care benefits, compared to two-thirds of all
American workers.
"We're seeing a brain drain out of the
early child care system," said Marci Young, deputy director
of the Center for the Child Care Work Force, an advocacy
group linked with the American Federation of
Teachers.
One child care dropout is Maritza Oyola
of Newark, who graduated from Montclair State University in
May with a bachelor's degree. Oyola, who has 10 years'
experience in child care, in centers and as a nanny, applied
for a job as a classroom teacher in a for-profit child care
chain.
But she changed her mind when she found
out the starting pay was $10 to $12 an hour, right around
the $11.50 that is the average pay for the job in New
Jersey. Instead, she took a position working with mentally
disabled adults that pays nearly $16 an hour, with full
benefits.
"The (child care) pay was not equal to my
years of experience and my educational background," said
Oyola, 31.
Nonetheless, New Jersey is considered a
leader in state-supported, high-quality child care because
of its commitment to the so-called Abbott districts, the
poorest in the state. Under court mandate, teachers of 3-
and 4-year-olds must have a degree and be certified to teach
pre-kindergarten through grade 3. They also must be paid the
same rate and get benefits similar to those of public school
teachers.
Also, changes approved this year by the
state licensing bureau stipulate directors of centers with
more than 30 children have a bachelor's degree or receive
additional training.
"I'm ecstatic about what we've
accomplished so far," said Ellen Frede, a professor of early
childhood education at the College of New Jersey and an
architect of the Abbott program. "Unfortunately, that's not
the case with lots of the programs in general. It's
absolutely alarming when you take into consideration the
research over the last decade or so that shows how important
it is for children to have a high-quality learning
environment."
The study, sponsored by the Economic
Policy Institute, a Washington, D.C., economic think tank,
was conducted by researchers at the Keystone Research Center
in Harrisburg, Pa.
Peggy O'Crowley covers family is sues. She may be reached
at pocrow ley@starledger.com or at (973) 392-5810.
© 2005 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with
permission.
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