Preschool Teachers Deserve Higher Pay | Teen Ink

Preschool Teachers Deserve Higher Pay

March 3, 2016
By Emily_24 BRONZE, Broomfield, Colorado
Emily_24 BRONZE, Broomfield, Colorado
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

The Preschool teacher supplies a student with his everyday numbers, in elementary school the student learned to add and subtract, in middle school the student learned to plug numbers into equations, in high school the student learns algebra and calculus, in college the student is doing professional work that is beyond the complexity of everyday math. In the future the student will become a world renowned surgeon, saving lives of kids and adults, making an impact in the everyday lives of everyone. And it all started in Preschool. Preschool teachers are currently being paid below the poverty line and deserve better because they are growing the future generation while most of them can barely make a living for their own children.

According to an article on The Atlantic News.Com written by Laura Bornfreund ”any adults working in child-care centers and other early-childhood programs make about 1 (USD) less than animal caretakers” (Bornfreund 2) When you think of a teacher you think of a person that you give your children to for the day. Someone that you trust that will give your child the basic needs to get an education and become an important person in the world. A person who works with animals has to feed and care for their animals, but so do teachers. The only difference is that these animals will not one day grow up and make a difference for the world. On top of that an average Preschool teacher makes one dollar more than a cook with the pay of 10 USD an hour. People who flip burgers today, are asking to be above minimum wage of 15 USD an hour. Their fight is understandable, but why give a person who will be building the future generations only 1$ more than these people, and not answer their cries when asking for a raise as well.

Out of today's population, 54% of 2-4 year olds go to preschool and only 39% of our population will go to college. These Preschool teachers are dealing with more than half of the population of kids. Every single one of the adults that go through college will have to have gone through a preschool education. With that fact 35% of jobs require at least a bachelor's degree (Anne 1). A Preschool teacher's work is staying with these kids all the way through college and even into their jobs which will one day pay the world back. A statistic from the Education Corner study stated that, “Children taught at an early age usually benefit in the following ways: improved social skills, less or no need for special education instruction during subsequent school years, better grades, and enhanced attention spans. Likewise, some researchers have concluded that young children enrolled in Preschool programs usually graduate from high school, attend college, have fewer behavioral problems, and do not become involved with crime in their adolescent and young adult years.” Some children will not go to any school or be taken out at a very young age. Besides the fact that they will have significant trouble gaining the education to complete a college degree and find a job, these children will be lacking in social skills and everyday reading that impacts their way of life. These children will not be able to buy food, ask questions, can can get involved in crimes. If every child started out in Preschool Their learning would  help them make their way up into elementary school, middle school, high school, and maybe even college for their degree and job choice. Their lives will be enormously impacted for the greater, in not only making their own lives better but impacting the society around them too by becoming doctors, leaders, and teachers themselves continuing the chain. These studies show us that going to Preschool, makes your ability to communicate and behave better, makes your chances at a successful future better, and impacts the future generation for the better.

The person that you are trusting your child with, should be alert, happy, and aware. How can a teacher who is trying to improve the education and life for other kids, succeed in her job, if they are worried about bringing food to their own table. Studies show that “almost half of Preschool teachers, compared with just 25 percent of the U.S. workforce, were from families enrolled in at least one of four government support programs: the Federal Earned Income Tax Credit; Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program; federal food stamps; or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. and half worry about having enough food to feed their families.” That means that ¼ of all preschool teachers need governmental aid in supporting their own families while doing a balancing act of paying taxes and taking care of other people's children. In fact an average Preschool teacher makes $28,120 USD annually while, for a family of four with two children it was $22,283. A preschool teacher makes only 6,000 USD more than the average poverty line for a family of four, and unless their spouse is helping to make money these parents can be classified as the Working Poor. How can a teacher who is trying to improve the education and life for other kids, succeed in her job, if they are worried about bringing food to their own table?

When you think of a Preschool teacher's job you think of the ability to entertain, inspire, and grow our country’s future generations. These valuable workers are spending their own time, and their knowledge for these kids, but getting no pay to show the country's thanks. Surgeons are saving lives, doctors cure diseases, accountants help you with money, insurance helps you protect yourself, mathematicians and scientists solve problems that are going to improve mankind in the future, and they all start with preschool. But These Teachers are getting no recognition for the hard work they put into these students. So why not give these Teachers the recognition they need for all the dedication and hard work it needs to become a teacher.


The author's comments:

My mom is a dedicatid Preschool teacher and early in the year of 2007 my dad was laid off and my family of 6 found themselves on very hard times. Today in 2016 i decided to write a paper on how this should be changed and that the dedicated Preschool teachers should get more pay for the hard work they do for this country.


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This article has 1 comment.


Katie Ruiz said...
on Mar. 15 2016 at 12:10 pm
Great job Emily! It was really informative and I think you make an excellent point, I totally agree with you. It's not fair that dedicated teachers that set the foundation for our learning don't even get a sufficient pay!