Wages
retirement), and better professional work environments provided by publicly funded opportunities such as Pre-K.
Compensation for child care professionals is a complex issue
because families needing child care cannot afford higher payments; however, current prices do not allow child care providers to offer livable wages, benefits, or support for the professional development of their employees. Public funding for child care (assistance to low-income families) uses per-child reimbursement rates that are far below the true cost of care. Providers who choose to accept subsidies from the state of Oklahoma to care for children in low-income households are only reimbursed 29 to 69% of the true cost of care, forcing them to pay the remaining 31 to 71% out of their own funds. The average annual wage for a child care professional in Oklahoma is $22,790. Half of all child care professionals are enrolled in at least one public assistance program. Early childhood education also has the lowest earning potential of all college majors. Although pay is low across the system, it varies greatly depending on the program and age of the children in care. For example, the average annual wage for a child care teacher in Oklahoma is 47% less than that of a Pre-K teacher ($11.67/hour vs $17.16/ hour), but Pre-K teachers are paid 38% less than similarly qualified kindergarten teachers ($17.16/hour vs $23.70/hour). In addition, the cost of infant/toddler care is notably higher than that of older children due to smaller child/teacher ratios and additional regulations required for child safety. Often, ECCE professionals are enticed to leave the industry to seek relatively higher pay, expanded benefits (like health care and
OKC Child Care Survey Results & Focus Groups A survey was conducted targeting the Oklahoma City workforce who have children. A total of 564 people responded. The survey focused on capturing the benefits and challenges related to obtaining child care in OKC and how it impacts workforce behavior. A summary of the key survey results is provided below.
Top 3 reasons for those unable to find child care in the past 12 months:
• Cost of care is too expensive (27%) • Child care program was full (22%) • Quality of child care (15%)
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