United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County has released an in-depth study called the Early Childhood Education Wage Increase Pilot Project, which examines the relationship between wages, the well-being of child care educators and the quality of instruction.
We partnered with Learning Tree Academy for phase one of the project to raise the wages of their teachers during 2022, raising wages from $9-$11 to $15-$18.
Teachers overwhelmingly reported reduced stress levels and increased satisfaction and happiness as they were more equipped to provide for their loved ones. With increased financial stability, the desire to leave for other jobs decreased dramatically for educators.
Unfortunately, these low wages are not uncommon for early childhood educators in San Antonio. According to PayScale, the average hourly wage for these educators in San Antonio is $10.34. This means most workers in this field earn less than the Federal Poverty Level or earn less than the cost of living.
No individual organization can raise wages for all early childhood educators in San Antonio. Only action from state lawmakers will create this change.
