On October 20th, Valora Washington, CEO of the Council for Professional Recognition, testified before the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Higher Education as it considered "An Act Creating an Early Educator Earned Income Tax Credit" (H2992 and S1428). Valora shared information about the early care and education workforce and the importance of financial support to help early educators improve their professional development, which in turn expands opportunities for young learners.
Valora has worked with the Bessie Tartt Wilson Children's Initiative to create a Blueprint for Compensation Reform. It is a blueprint with implications for any state. In this work the focus is on the importance of early educators to state economies. For example, early care and education in Massachusetts:
- Employs more than 30,000 people
- Creates $1.5 billion in annual revenue, and
- Is the fifth fastest growing industry in the region.
Despite these contributions, there is a grave concern: The persistently low compensation of people who work with young children, regardless of their credentials. For example, the National Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that in 2009 there were 13,400 "child care workers" in Massachusetts with a mean salary of about $24,000 annually.
The Council is committed to the "professional recognition" of the 280,000 people who have earned their CDAs as the best first step for early care and education professionals. Therefore, we are proud to speak out for higher compensation. Achieving this goal will require more systemic and comprehensive state-wide approaches. For more information about the Blueprint for Compensation Reform, click here.