View in EDS HTML Full Text PDF Full Text

Compensation Challenges in Early Childhood Education: An Analysis of Mississippi's Child Care Workforce

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: Compensation Challenges in Early Childhood Education: An Analysis of Mississippi's Child Care Workforce
Language: English
Authors: Katerina Sergi (ORCID 0000-0003-3777-0327), John Stephen McCown, Mary Rebecca Read-Wahidi, Ismail H. Yigit, Callie Poole, Heather Hanna
Source: International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy. 2025 19.
Availability: Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 18
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Descriptors: Early Childhood Education, Early Childhood Teachers, Compensation (Remuneration), Teacher Salaries, Wages, Salary Wage Differentials, Teacher Qualifications, Rural Urban Differences, Teaching Experience, Educational Attainment, Regional Characteristics, Differences, Job Security, Capacity Building
Geographic Terms: Mississippi
DOI: 10.1186/s40723-025-00145-2
ISSN: 1976-5681
2288-6729
Abstract: The early childhood workforce in the U.S. faces significant challenges, including low wages, high turnover, and inadequate support, affecting the quality of education and care for children. The existing research on early childhood education typically identifies low wages as an issue, but lacks advanced analysis of rural-urban pay disparities and how educational qualifications interact with location to affect compensation. This leaves a significant gap in understanding wage compression across the early childhood education (ECE) field. Utilizing the framework of wage compression, which posits that higher qualifications may not equate to higher pay, this study uses data from the 2023 Mississippi Wages Survey to analyze how job experience, educational attainment, and geographic location impact wages for early childhood educators. The results show that average hourly wages for teachers are approximately $10.93, significantly below national standards. Hourly compensation in large urban areas reaches $11.66, as compared to $11.02 and $9.95 per hour in rural and small urban areas respectively. Years of experience, educational attainment, and geography show the modest effects on wage differences. Higher education correlates with better pay; however, wage increases remain modest, indicating policies targeting only education may insufficiently address compensation issues. Geographic disparities exist, with urban areas generally offering higher wages than rural ones, but small urban areas report lower pay than expected. These findings underscore systemic undervaluation and necessitate policy interventions, such as wage increases and support for professional development, tailored to local contexts, to enhance workforce stability and childcare quality. Wage reforms and increased funding can contribute to elevating the profession. Future research should include longitudinal studies across multiple states for a comprehensive understanding of these issues.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: EJ1475198
Database: ERIC
Full text is not displayed to guests.
FullText Links:
  – Type: pdflink
    Url: https://content.ebscohost.com/cds/retrieve?content=AQICAHj0k_4E0hTGH8RJwT4gCJyBsGNe_WN95AvKlDbXJGqwxwFpn-_jJq02YLUh4gIgeRHIAAAA4zCB4AYJKoZIhvcNAQcGoIHSMIHPAgEAMIHJBgkqhkiG9w0BBwEwHgYJYIZIAWUDBAEuMBEEDP0shOK5f3otLEed7gIBEICBm05zGVDc14MINqPgSLnUN7tC_Wg_t6QOK3pLuydLAeWOZkuYpXGCRYKENQK7oehU_SJxGnWrPVBNLXA5QHHulrfHLCH00G_kE0n4XXasJSJ6LTfq8aBCqtU6MVu9tNydYzMnkE1kHOg5ov_f8M7C48zphE-7iZXLSYCunWCInnmHHuzvA2JQ9tDDqqfk2gh4fjYhbOT31xYKCjLI
Text:
  Availability: 1
  Value: <anid>AN0186105189;[ds0u]21jun.25;2025Jun25.03:26;v2.2.500</anid> <title id="AN0186105189-1">Compensation challenges in early childhood education: an analysis of Mississippi's child care workforce </title> <p>The early childhood workforce in the U.S. faces significant challenges, including low wages, high turnover, and inadequate support, affecting the quality of education and care for children. The existing research on early childhood education typically identifies low wages as an issue, but lacks advanced analysis of rural–urban pay disparities and how educational qualifications interact with location to affect compensation. This leaves a significant gap in understanding wage compression across the early childhood education (ECE) field. Utilizing the framework of wage compression, which posits that higher qualifications may not equate to higher pay, this study uses data from the 2023 Mississippi Wages Survey to analyze how job experience, educational attainment, and geographic location impact wages for early childhood educators. The results show that average hourly wages for teachers are approximately $10.93, significantly below national standards. Hourly compensation in large urban areas reaches $11.66, as compared to $11.02 and $9.95 per hour in rural and small urban areas respectively. Years of experience, educational attainment, and geography show the modest effects on wage differences. Higher education correlates with better pay; however, wage increases remain modest, indicating policies targeting only education may insufficiently address compensation issues. Geographic disparities exist, with urban areas generally offering higher wages than rural ones, but small urban areas report lower pay than expected. These findings underscore systemic undervaluation and necessitate policy interventions, such as wage increases and support for professional development, tailored to local contexts, to enhance workforce stability and childcare quality. Wage reforms and increased funding can contribute to elevating the profession. Future research should include longitudinal studies across multiple states for a comprehensive understanding of these issues.</p> <p>Keywords: Early childhood workforce; Wages; Child care quality; Geography; Education Specialist Studies In Education Medical and Health Sciences Public Health and Health Services</p> <hd id="AN0186105189-2">Introduction</hd> <p>The early childhood workforce plays a crucial role in supporting the development and school readiness of young children (Gulati & Wadhwa, [<reflink idref="bib22" id="ref1">22</reflink>]; Schoch et al., [<reflink idref="bib46" id="ref2">46</reflink>]; Sollars, [<reflink idref="bib47" id="ref3">47</reflink>]). Despite their critical importance, early childhood professionals in the United States (U.S.) face persistent challenges related to poor compensation, high turnover rates, and inadequate support for their overall well-being, encompassed under the framework of wage compression (Kim et al., [<reflink idref="bib31" id="ref4">31</reflink>]; Muruvi et al., [<reflink idref="bib37" id="ref5">37</reflink>]; Roberts et al., [<reflink idref="bib44" id="ref6">44</reflink>]; Whitebook et al., [<reflink idref="bib52" id="ref7">52</reflink>]; Zhao & Jeon, [<reflink idref="bib56" id="ref8">56</reflink>]). These issues not only impact the quality of care and education provided to children but also have broader implications for the early childhood education (ECE) system, families, and society as a whole, including effects on kindergarten readiness and school programming (Alverson et al., [<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref9">2</reflink>]; Venter, [<reflink idref="bib49" id="ref10">49</reflink>]). These issues remain critical yet underexplored challenges in ECE, particularly as the field undergoes increasing professionalization without corresponding wage growth.</p> <p>To address these challenges, improving wages, benefits, work environments, and career mobility is essential for attracting and retaining a skilled and dedicated early childhood workforce. However, disparities between early childhood educators in these areas are influenced by various factors, including state level and national policies, public funding sources, child care quality measures and incentives, and socioeconomic contexts (Farewell et al., [<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref11">19</reflink>]; Liu et al., [<reflink idref="bib32" id="ref12">32</reflink>]; McLean et al., 2020; Phillips et al., [<reflink idref="bib42" id="ref13">42</reflink>]). This study is particularly timely given ongoing policy discussions around workforce compensation, minimum wage reforms, and the impact of funding disparities across geographic locations. Understanding and effectively addressing these disparities, particularly the geographic variations between urban and rural areas, is crucial for supporting the early childhood workforce and promoting quality ECE nationwide. Additionally, recent efforts to increase credentialing requirements for ECE teachers raise urgent questions about whether higher education levels translate to meaningful wage gains.</p> <p>Using the 2023 Mississippi Wages Survey data as a snapshot of broader trends across the U.S., the current research provides valuable empirical insights about: (a) how years of job experience, educational attainment, and geographic location impact hourly wages for child care teachers; (b) the extent to which educational attainment influences wage disparities among early childhood educators across different geographic regions; and (c) the factors that contribute to wage differences observed between metro and nonmetro areas, particularly the higher wages in large urban areas and lower wages in small urban areas. By focusing exclusively on quantitative models, this research seeks to provide an objective and data-driven understanding of wage disparities in the field of ECE. The existing research often highlights low ECE wages broadly but does not sufficiently analyze rural–urban pay differences, how different education levels impact wages in comparison to location, addressing the gap of comprehensive wage compression studies in the field. The findings will contribute to the growing body of evidence needed to inform comprehensive policies and interventions that can address the persistent issues faced by early childhood professionals and ultimately benefit children, families, and communities.</p> <hd id="AN0186105189-3">Background</hd> <p>In this study, we utilize the framework of <emph>wage compression</emph> which posits that the pay differences between workers with different levels of education, experience, or responsibilities may be smaller than expected. This phenomenon creates a situation where highly trained and experienced educators might earn wages that are very close to what new or early-career ECE staff make. Such compression makes it difficult to attract and retain skilled professionals in the field, leading to high turnover and lower levels of quality education offered to young children in ECE settings. The concept of wage compression has been widely discussed in labor economics and, in the context of ECE, scholars have documented how low wages persist despite increased qualifications (Carbone & Cahn, [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref14">11</reflink>]; Karoly, [<reflink idref="bib30" id="ref15">30</reflink>]; Whitebook et al., [<reflink idref="bib52" id="ref16">52</reflink>]). Wage compression in the ECE workforce persists despite increasing professionalization, largely due to structural, economic, and social factors. Research shows that although education and qualifications have risen, wages remain stagnant, leading to workforce instability and high turnover (Karoly, [<reflink idref="bib30" id="ref17">30</reflink>]; Whitebook et al., [<reflink idref="bib52" id="ref18">52</reflink>]). The assumption that intrinsic motivation compensates for low pay is challenged by evidence that poor wages deter skilled workers (Folbre, [<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref19">20</reflink>]; Herzenberg et al., [<reflink idref="bib27" id="ref20">27</reflink>]). Institutional funding mechanisms, such as reliance on tuition and fragmented public subsidies, exacerbate wage stagnation by limiting salary growth opportunities (McLean, et al., [<reflink idref="bib34" id="ref21">34</reflink>]; National Research Council, [<reflink idref="bib38" id="ref22">38</reflink>]). Gendered and racialized labor market segmentation further suppresses wages, with child care work being systematically undervalued due to perceptions of it as "women's work" (Warner, [<reflink idref="bib51" id="ref23">51</reflink>]) and racial disparities disproportionately affecting Black or Latina educators (Cheruvu et al., [<reflink idref="bib14" id="ref24">14</reflink>]; Liu et al., [<reflink idref="bib32" id="ref25">32</reflink>]).</p> <hd id="AN0186105189-4">Compensation in child care settings</hd> <p>Building on our understanding of wage compression, we now examine ways compensation issues are represented in the ECE workforce. Low wages and lack of adequate compensation and benefits are pervasive issues that the ECE workforce faces nationwide. Calls for wage reform emphasize the need for public investment and living wage policies to address systemic inequalities and ensure a stable, high-quality ECE workforce (Mclean et al., [<reflink idref="bib33" id="ref26">33</reflink>]; OECD, [<reflink idref="bib39" id="ref27">39</reflink>]). The current data reveal the extent of this issue. The Bureau of Labor Statistics ([<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref28">10</reflink>]) reported that, in May 2023, there were 268,810 child care workers in child care services in the U.S. with $14.60 mean hourly wage ($30,360-mean annual wage). These data are reinforced by a recent report that stated that despite historic funding, child care workers average just $13.07 per hour nationwide (CSCCE, [<reflink idref="bib16" id="ref29">16</reflink>]). This glaring disparity between the critical importance of early childhood teachers' role and their meager compensation exposes a troubling truth: the U.S. early childhood workforce remains chronically underpaid and grossly undervalued, highlighting a systemic failure to recognize and reward those shaping our children's earliest years (Coffey, [<reflink idref="bib15" id="ref30">15</reflink>]).</p> <hd id="AN0186105189-5">Economic insecurity among ECE professionals</hd> <p>Many studies highlight how early childhood educators, including child care teachers, preschool teachers, and administrators, earn extremely low wages that do not compensate them adequately for their education levels and the demanding nature of their work (Ackerman, [<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref31">1</reflink>]; Austin et al., [<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref32">4</reflink>]; Cheeseman Newburger & Beckhusen, [<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref33">13</reflink>]; Gould & Blair, [<reflink idref="bib21" id="ref34">21</reflink>]; Hathorn, [<reflink idref="bib26" id="ref35">26</reflink>]; Otten et al., [<reflink idref="bib41" id="ref36">41</reflink>]; Phillips et al., [<reflink idref="bib42" id="ref37">42</reflink>]). The low wages in child care settings contribute to high rates of economic insecurity and challenges when meeting basic needs among educators in this field. Otten et al. ([<reflink idref="bib41" id="ref38">41</reflink>]) reported that their sample of early childhood workers experienced poor mental well-being and high rates of food insecurity. Linnan, et al. ([<reflink idref="bib57" id="ref39">57</reflink>]) conducted their study in North Carolina with 674 child care workers and found that 42% of workers classified as at or below poverty, and exhibited many health risks, including mental, among the child care workers. With more than 2000 female child care workers, a study by Whitaker et al. ([<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref40">6</reflink>]) showed that 75% of workers had one or more chronic health conditions. Using nationally representative data, Dynia et al. ([<reflink idref="bib17" id="ref41">17</reflink>]) focused on food insecurity and practices among U.S. child care workers and found that especially during the COVID-19 pandemic child care workers experienced triple the rates of food insecurity as compared to general population. Roberts et al. ([<reflink idref="bib44" id="ref42">44</reflink>]) found that lower wages, lack of health insurance, and having multiple jobs were associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms among early childhood educators. The inadequate compensation perpetuates chronically high turnover rates within the early childhood workforce (Brown & Herbst, [<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref43">8</reflink>]; Gould & Blair, [<reflink idref="bib21" id="ref44">21</reflink>]; Warner & Schoch, [<reflink idref="bib50" id="ref45">50</reflink>]; Whitebook et al., [<reflink idref="bib56" id="ref46">56</reflink>]). Whitebook and Sakai ([<reflink idref="bib53" id="ref47">53</reflink>]) discovered that over half of child care center teaching staff had left their centers within a 4 year period. Highly trained teachers were more likely to leave their jobs if they earned lower wages and worked in centers with less stability among highly trained co-workers. This high turnover undermines quality and results in lost investments in professional learning for early childhood educators.</p> <hd id="AN0186105189-6">Impact of compensation on child care quality</hd> <p>The consequences of inadequate compensation extend beyond individual educators to affect the quality of care provided to children. This is particularly concerning in regions with high poverty rates, such as Mississippi, where about 30% of children under 18 live in poverty compared to 16% for U.S. overall (HRSA Maternal & Child Health, [<reflink idref="bib28" id="ref48">28</reflink>]). Numerous studies indicate that higher wages and better compensation for early childhood educators are linked to improved program quality, reduced staff turnover, and positive outcomes for children (Brown & Herbst, [<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref49">8</reflink>]; Gould & Blair, [<reflink idref="bib21" id="ref50">21</reflink>]; Hall et al., [<reflink idref="bib24" id="ref51">24</reflink>]; Johnson et al., [<reflink idref="bib29" id="ref52">29</reflink>]; Scarr et al., [<reflink idref="bib45" id="ref53">45</reflink>]; Whitebook et al., [<reflink idref="bib54" id="ref54">54</reflink>]). Scarr et al. ([<reflink idref="bib45" id="ref55">45</reflink>]) found that teachers' wages were highly correlated with process measures of quality care across child care providers. Whitebook et al. ([<reflink idref="bib54" id="ref56">54</reflink>]) reported that providers were more likely to experience lower staff turnover if they paid higher wages to staff, which in turn facilitated improvements and sustained high quality over time. Brown and Herbst ([<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref57">8</reflink>]) discovered that while child care providers increased teacher pay in response to minimum wage reforms, this led to increased service quality, reduced staff turnover, more human capital investments by teachers, and improved teacher–child interactions. However, the authors noted that despite quality increases, parents reported being less satisfied due to corresponding increases in tuition fees. Parental dissatisfaction sometimes stems from the lack of awareness of what high-quality ECE offerings mean to the child, protruding the practical inconvenience of higher tuition (Bassok, et al., [<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref58">5</reflink>]; Hacioglu, et al., [<reflink idref="bib23" id="ref59">23</reflink>]). Hall et al. ([<reflink idref="bib24" id="ref60">24</reflink>]) analyzed data from pandemic relief applications in Louisiana and found that child care providers with higher wages were significantly less likely to report staffing challenges, turn families away, and hire less experienced or under-qualified teachers, following Louisiana's Department of Education Teacher Support Grants implementation (Louisiana Policy Institute for Children, [<reflink idref="bib18" id="ref61">18</reflink>]). These findings collectively suggest that wage increases could help stabilize the early childhood workforce and contribute to high-quality child care centers, demonstrating the critical link between compensation and quality of care.</p> <hd id="AN0186105189-7">Geographic variations in ECE compensation</hd> <p>The challenges of ECE compensation are not uniform across all regions. Past studies have examined geographic variations in wages, compensation, and working conditions for the early childhood workforce across different states and regions. Rafiq et al. ([<reflink idref="bib43" id="ref62">43</reflink>]) highlighted how inadequate compensation serves as a deterrent to individuals considering careers in ECE, with this challenge being particularly pronounced in economically disadvantaged regions such as Mississippi where limited educational funding further suppresses wages in the ECE workforce (CSCCE, [<reflink idref="bib16" id="ref63">16</reflink>]). The research within Mississippi has revealed significant disparities in hourly wages for child care teachers (Hanna et al., [<reflink idref="bib25" id="ref64">25</reflink>]). The average hourly wage varied by factors, such as job title, geographic region, education level, and facility type, with over a third of early childhood teachers having recently looked for new jobs outside of child care, indicating instability in the workforce. In fact, early childhood teachers would prefer wage increases over bonuses and would accept a raise even if it meant losing some public assistance income.</p> <p>Similar patterns emerge in other states. Analysis of pandemic relief applications submitted by 90% of publicly funded child care providers in Louisiana revealed that, in 2022, 15% of lead teacher positions were unfilled statewide, nearly quadruple the national vacancy rate for public school teachers (Hall et al., [<reflink idref="bib24" id="ref65">24</reflink>]). Stark regional differences existed, with providers in high-wage areas significantly less likely to report staffing challenges. Even in states with higher costs of living like New Jersey, Ackerman ([<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref66">1</reflink>]) illustrated how low wages impact child care and ECE quality.</p> <p>Rural–urban divides present additional challenges, with providers and educators in rural areas facing unique barriers related to compensation, benefits, and access to professional development opportunities (Roberts et al., [<reflink idref="bib44" id="ref67">44</reflink>]). The importance of localized policy landscapes is highlighted in a cross-national review by Arndt et al. ([<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref68">3</reflink>]), which examines how policy contexts shape early educator professional identities in Australia, Ireland, Denmark and the United States.</p> <hd id="AN0186105189-8">State policy impacts and differences across center types</hd> <p>Beyond geographic variations, state policies and regulations impact compensation, benefits, and professional development opportunities for early educators across different center characteristics. Phillips et al. ([<reflink idref="bib42" id="ref69">42</reflink>]) compared preschool teachers' racial–ethnic composition, education, experience, compensation, and turnover in 1990 and 2012 across programs receiving different public funding sources like CCDBG/CCDF subsidies, Head Start, and other preschool development and state funds for pre-K, finding disparities both within and across years based on funding stream.</p> <p>Ownership structure also plays a role in compensation practices. A study by Zhao and Lu ([<reflink idref="bib55" id="ref70">55</reflink>]) explored wage differences between nonprofit and for-profit child care centers using a national U.S. sample. After controlling for individual, occupational, organizational and community factors, they found a significant nonprofit wage premium for early childhood teachers. Program structure can influence outcomes as well. Bridges et al. ([<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref71">7</reflink>]) examined California's Child-Care Retention Incentive program, where counties designed different combinations of wage supplements and professional development incentives. The results showed staff completed more courses when programs provided stronger career advising alongside the education components.</p> <p>However, systemic challenges persist. Otten et al. ([<reflink idref="bib41" id="ref72">41</reflink>]) found that lower wage early childhood staff were more likely to be employed at centers with more children enrolled in subsidy programs and less likely to have access to benefits like health insurance, paid leave, and parental/family leave. A study by Warner and Schoch ([<reflink idref="bib50" id="ref73">50</reflink>]) highlighted initiatives targeting different aspects of workforce well-being, such as mindfulness training, building trusting relationships, providing supplemental payments, and promoting physical activity.</p> <hd id="AN0186105189-9">Capacity building and education in the early childhood workforce</hd> <p>A final critical dimension of wage compression in the ECE landscape involves the relationship between education, credentials, and wages. Several studies found that higher education levels and credentials were associated with higher wages for early childhood educators, though the wage gains were often modest compared to other fields (Cheeseman Newburger & Beckhusen, [<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref74">13</reflink>]; Phillips et al., [<reflink idref="bib42" id="ref75">42</reflink>]; Zhao & Lu, [<reflink idref="bib55" id="ref76">55</reflink>]). In Mississippi, early childhood teachers with higher education levels earned somewhat higher wages but that was inversely correlated to other benefits or professional advancement, necessary elements to stabilize workforce (Hanna et al., [<reflink idref="bib25" id="ref77">25</reflink>]). Cheeseman Newburger and Beckhusen ([<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref78">13</reflink>]) showed teachers with graduate degrees still earned significantly less than other occupations where graduate degrees are less common. Phillips et al. ([<reflink idref="bib42" id="ref79">42</reflink>]) found that while education levels increased for preschool teachers from 1990 to 2012, wages remained stagnant during that period. This suggests that policies increasing education requirements alone may be insufficient for improving compensation. Some initiatives like wage supplements and career ladders aimed to incentivize earning additional credentials by linking them to higher pay (Bridges et al., [<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref80">7</reflink>]). However, the effects were modest, suggesting other factors constrain wage growth and that a more comprehensive approach to addressing wage compression in the ECE workforce is needed.</p> <hd id="AN0186105189-10">Methods</hd> <p>To address the issue of compensation in ECE workforce, the researchers employed a cross-sectional design using findings drawn from the 2023 Mississippi Wages Survey which documented the wages and working conditions of early childhood teachers in the state. Empirical, regression-based analyses aimed to isolate the effects of specific variables—such as experience, geography, and education—on wage outcomes. The findings provided a snapshot of current wages with the goal of examining how ECE wages can contribute to a stabilized workforce, teacher retention, and ultimately to quality ECE.</p> <hd id="AN0186105189-11">Recruitment</hd> <p>The study was approved by the University's Institutional Review Board (IRB) and received an exempt designation (IRB # 23–248). The researchers used convenience, purposeful sampling to compensate for the specific job search in the rural state of Mississippi. Participant recruitment for the survey utilized the publicly available Mississippi State Department of Health's online Child Care Provider Search portal (Mississippi State Department of Health, [<reflink idref="bib36" id="ref81">36</reflink>]) to obtain a list of licensed providers who received an email containing: (a) an explanation of the survey, (b) a direct link to the survey, (c) a link to a printable document with survey instructions, and (d) a QR code for posting in child care facilities. Child care directors were asked to distribute the survey link or QR code to all teachers in their respective facilities. The initial listserv contained 1,463 licensed center email addresses. After removing 43 bounced emails and 212 duplicates (representing multiple facilities under the same ownership/direction), the final count of unique, valid email addresses was 1,251. Throughout the survey period, reminder emails were sent to encourage participation. Additional survey distribution channels included officials from Mississippi Head Start and Nurturing Homes Initiative (a program, funded by the Mississippi Department of Human Services, aimed to improve the quality of family child care homes) that circulated the survey to their respective providers, and social media accounts of other state-level child care stakeholders.</p> <hd id="AN0186105189-12">Participants</hd> <p>The survey period extended from July 18, 2023, to August 9, 2023, with an additional 48 h grace period allowed for completion of ongoing responses. Initially, 764 unique, completed survey responses were received. To ensure data relevance, a filtering process was applied to exclude respondents whose primary roles were not teaching (e.g., nonteaching directors, cooking staff, bus drivers). This refinement resulted in a final sample of 661 respondents for analysis. The following table shows participant characteristics.</p> <hd id="AN0186105189-13">Survey development</hd> <p>The survey instrument was developed specifically for the study and underwent a rigorous review process to ensure its effectiveness and sensitivity to the target audience regarding wages and benefits. The initial draft was subjected to two rounds of review and piloted by early childhood professionals who were members of the Mississippi Forum for the Future Wages Working Group (a collective initiative to transform the ECE system in Mississippi). Their feedback led to significant refinements, particularly regarding the phrasing of questions about wages and benefits, as well as general wording improvements. To facilitate transparent communication and address any concerns from the child care provider community, three public virtual meetings were organized. These sessions were conducted by the Forum for the Future working group chairs, consortium backbone members, and the data collection team. The meetings coincided with the survey distribution period and served as a platform for providers to ask questions about the survey itself and the data collection methodology. To maximize participation, these public meetings were promoted through the same channels used for survey distribution. This collaborative approach to survey development and implementation aimed to enhance the instrument's reliability and encourage engagement from the child care provider community with clear and accurate wording. The survey was programmed and distributed via a survey management software platform (Qualtrics) using an anonymous hyperlink or QR code. Questions included "What types of benefits are offered to you at the child care facility where you currently work?" "What is your hourly wage?" "How many hours do you usually work per week?" and other objective characteristics, such as education, experience, wages, location, etc.</p> <hd id="AN0186105189-14">Data analyses</hd> <p>The researchers utilized both simple and multiple linear regression approaches to model the relationship between ECE wages and the three key factors, i.e., years of experience, geographic location, and educational attainment. The analyses focused exclusively on quantifiable data, excluding qualitative considerations. Several variables were cleaned prior to the analysis. Gender was presented as an open-ended question on the survey, and text data were converted to standard Female/Male/Other categories for the analysis. Race, which allowed multiple selections, was collapsed into individual categories for single responses, and a multiracial category for those selecting more than one race. Ethnicity was included in the question; therefore, those responding as Hispanic were not placed into a racial category but remained in the category of Hispanic. For the variable of job title, the "other" option was carefully reviewed by researchers to determine teaching status. Most of the "other" respondents were determined not to be in a primary teaching role, which informed the data filtering mentioned in the previous paragraph. Wages were processed into a continuous variable of hourly dollar amount. Respondents could select multiple ways to answer this question, such as hourly or salaried. For those who were salaried, their reported hours per week were used to create their hourly wage per hours worked. Analyses were performed in the R programming language for all frequencies, descriptives, crosstabulations, and categorical means estimates. The libraries "ggplot2" and "usmap" were used to map response counts geographically at the county level. Furthermore, due to the fact that rural counties in Mississippi typically experience higher levels of adverse outcomes, such as poverty, food insecurity, and unemployment, we examined regional wage disparities using a geographic classification system, such as the RUC codes. We also, reviewed Bureau of Labor Statistics data prior to conducting the survey, which indicated that average child care worker wages varied across the state. Tables of all analyses were exported to Excel, so the team of researchers could review all aggregated survey data and produce visualizations for this study.</p> <hd id="AN0186105189-15">Results</hd> <p>Early childhood teachers earned an average of $10.93 per hour, with their wages significantly influenced by job experience, educational attainment, and geographic location. Teachers in large urban areas receive slightly higher pay at $11.66 per hour, while those in rural areas earn less at $11.02 per hour, and teachers in small urban areas receive the lowest wages at $9.95 per hour. Years of experience, educational attainment, and geography—together explain approximately 13% of the wage differences for the target population. Detailed results are presented next.</p> <hd id="AN0186105189-16">Early childhood teacher wages</hd> <p>The average early childhood teacher wages in our survey sample were $10.93 per hour [95% CI (10.69, 11.17)]. Bivariate analyses found that early childhood teacher wages were significantly associated with the three explanatory variables in this study (i.e., job experience, educational attainment.) Hourly early childhood teacher wages were positively correlated with years of experience, <emph>r</emph>(<reflink idref="bib603" id="ref82">603</reflink>) = 0.21, <emph>p</emph> < 0.001. For each additional year of experience, early childhood teachers were observed to earn approximately $0.07 more per hour [95% CI (0.05, 0.10)]. Regarding education, early childhood teachers who completed a college degree earned significantly more than those without a college degree. early childhood teachers with a high school diploma had an hourly wage of $10.15 [95% CI (9.82, 10.48)], compared to those with a two-year college degree at $11.15 (95% CI [10.75, 11.56]) or a four-year college degree at $12.46 [95% CI (11.95, 12.97)]. Figure 1 provides a boxplot showing the distribution of wages across these three levels of education.</p> <p>Graph: Fig. 1 Teacher wages by educational attainment</p> <hd id="AN0186105189-17">Locale</hd> <p>With respect to geography (Fig. 2), there was no variation among the three metro categories. Large metro areas, specifically the Memphis Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), had an hourly wage of $11.21 [95% CI (10.15, 12.27)]. Medium metro areas, which include Jackson (the capital of Mississippi) and coastal regions in the Gulf of Mexico, had an hourly wage of $11.16 [95% CI (10.75, 11.56)]. Small metro areas, specifically the Hattiesburg MSA, had an hourly wage of $11.35 [95% CI (10.47, 12.24)]. However, nonmetro categories did have some notable variations. For example, large urban areas had the highest hourly wage at $11.66 [95% CI (11.09, 12.22)] per hour, while small urban areas had the lowest hourly wage at $9.95 [95% CI (9.46, 10.45)] per hour. Rural areas were the second lowest category, with an hourly wage of $11.02 [95% CI (10.32, 11.71)] per hour. Figure 3 provides a boxplot showing the distribution of wages across these six geographic categories (Table 1).</p> <p>Graph: Fig. 2. 2023 Rural–urban continuum codes for mississippi</p> <p>Graph: Fig. 3 Teacher wages by rural–urban continuum codes</p> <p>Table 1 Participant characteristics</p> <p> <ephtml> <table frame="hsides" rules="groups"><thead><tr><th align="left" /><th align="left"><p><italic>N</italic></p></th><th align="left"><p>Percent %</p></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="left" colspan="3"><p><italic>Role in the child care facility</italic></p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p> Directors (or their Designee)</p></td><td align="left"><p>114</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>17.3</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p> Lead Teacher/Caregiver</p></td><td align="left"><p>180</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>27.2</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p> Primary Teacher/Caregiver</p></td><td align="left"><p>260</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>39.3</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p> Assistant Teacher/Caregiver</p></td><td align="left"><p>86</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>13.0</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p> Classroom Aide</p></td><td align="left"><p>16</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>2.4</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p> Other</p></td><td align="left"><p>5</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.8</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="3"><p><italic>Type of child care facility</italic></p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p> Home/family-based</p></td><td align="left"><p>29</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>4.4</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p> Center-based</p></td><td align="left"><p>380</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>57.5</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p> Public school-based</p></td><td align="left"><p>9</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>1.4</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p> Pre-K collaborative<sup>a</sup></p></td><td align="left"><p>93</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>14.0</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p> Early Head Start/Head Start<sup>b</sup></p></td><td align="left"><p>21</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>3.2</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p> Church/faith-based</p></td><td align="left"><p>84</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>12.7</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p> Other (i.e., Title I programs, child care attached to a University or Community College, called child-study laboratory)</p></td><td align="left"><p>16</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>2.4</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p> No Response</p></td><td align="left"><p>29</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>4.4</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="3"><p><italic>Age Group of Children Served</italic></p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p> Infants</p></td><td align="left"><p>74</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>11.2</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p> Toddlers</p></td><td align="left"><p>71</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>10.7</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p> 2-old children</p></td><td align="left"><p>158</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>23.9</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p> Preschool children</p></td><td align="left"><p>29</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>4.4</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p> School-aged children</p></td><td align="left"><p>75</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>11.4</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p> Multiple age groups</p></td><td align="left"><p>179</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>27.1</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p> All age groups</p></td><td align="left"><p>69</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>10.4</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p> No response</p></td><td align="left"><p>6</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.9</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="3"><p>Gender</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p> Female</p></td><td align="left"><p>616</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>93.2</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p> Male</p></td><td align="left"><p>18</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>2.7</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p> No response</p></td><td align="left"><p>27</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>4.1</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="3"><p>Race</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p> Black</p></td><td align="left"><p>389</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>58.9</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p> White</p></td><td align="left"><p>211</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>31.9</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p> Hispanic</p></td><td align="left"><p>13</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>2.0</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p> Multiracial</p></td><td align="left"><p>32</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>4.8</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p> Other</p></td><td align="left"><p>2</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.3</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p> No response</p></td><td align="left"><p>14</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>2.1</p></td></tr></tbody></table> </ephtml> </p> <p> <sups>a</sups>Pre-K Collaboratives are state-funded by the Mississippi Department of Education and are comprised of public school districts, Head Start agencies, childcare centers, and private nonprofit organizations (Mississippi Department of Education, [<reflink idref="bib35" id="ref83">35</reflink>]) <sups>b</sups>Head Start/Early Head Start are U.S. government-funded infant/toddler and pre-K programs that serve economically- and socially-disadvantaged children between the ages of birth to five. The programs offer educational, nutritional, social–emotional, and health services intended to improve children's developmental trajectories (Office of Head Start, [<reflink idref="bib40" id="ref84">40</reflink>])</p> <hd id="AN0186105189-18">Education and locale as wages predictors</hd> <p>Multiple linear regression analysis was used to estimate the marginal group means of each education by geographic region category while adjusting for an average work experience of 10 years. For this analysis, the metro and nonmetro categories were collapsed into a simple binary classification scheme. Figure 4 provides a two-category bar plot showing the wages at each level of education and metro status with 95% confidence intervals. As with the bivariate analysis, the overall pattern of distribution of wages remains similar. There is clearly a strong educational effect, with college degree holders earning significantly higher wages than the reference category of high school graduates, and this pattern holds true across both metro and nonmetro areas. Years of experience also maintain a strong, positive association with wages in the model. As noted in the bivariate analysis, metro areas had higher wages than nonmetro areas (except large urban areas). This same trend was observed with respondents living in a metro region earning significantly more than their nonmetro counterparts. Tables 2 and 3 contain the regression model estimates and confidence intervals.</p> <p>Graph: Fig. 4 Estimated teacher wages by RUCC and education</p> <p>Table 2 Regression model predicting hourly wages</p> <p> <ephtml> <table frame="hsides" rules="groups"><thead><tr><th align="left" /><th align="left" colspan="3"><p>Hourly wages</p></th></tr><tr><th align="left"><p><italic>Predictors</italic></p></th><th align="left"><p><italic>Estimates</italic></p></th><th align="left"><p><italic>CI</italic></p></th><th align="left"><p><italic>p</italic></p></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p>(Intercept)</p></td><td align="left"><p>10.00</p></td><td char="–" align="char"><p>8.93 – 11.07</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p><bold> < 0.001</bold></p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Metro medium</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.10</p></td><td char="–" align="char"><p>− 0.98 – 1.19</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.850</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Metro small</p></td><td align="left"><p>− 0.21</p></td><td char="–" align="char"><p>− 1.53 – 1.11</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.755</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Urban large</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.29</p></td><td char="–" align="char"><p>− 0.87 – 1.44</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.625</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Urban small</p></td><td align="left"><p>− 1.22</p></td><td char="–" align="char"><p>− 2.33 – -0.10</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p><bold>0.032</bold></p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Rural</p></td><td align="left"><p>− 0.22</p></td><td char="–" align="char"><p>− 1.43 – 0.99</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.717</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>2 year degree</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.81</p></td><td char="–" align="char"><p>0.28 – 1.35</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p><bold>0.003</bold></p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>4 year degree</p></td><td align="left"><p>2.00</p></td><td char="–" align="char"><p>1.38 – 2.62</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p><bold> < 0.001</bold></p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Years experience</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.06</p></td><td char="–" align="char"><p>0.03 – 0.08</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p><bold> < 0.001</bold></p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Observations</p></td><td align="left" colspan="3"><p>592</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>R<sup>2</sup>/R<sup>2</sup> adjusted</p></td><td align="left" colspan="3"><p>0.143/0.132</p></td></tr></tbody></table> </ephtml> </p> <p>Bold values indicate the p significance levels. Since we show exact p values, any description such as *p <.05, **p <.01, and ***p <.001 is unecessary</p> <p>Table 3 Regression model predicting hourly wages (Simplified Geography)</p> <p> <ephtml> <table frame="hsides" rules="groups"><thead><tr><th align="left" rowspan="2"><p><italic>Predictors</italic></p></th><th align="left" colspan="3"><p>Hourly wages</p></th></tr><tr><th align="left"><p><italic>Estimates</italic></p></th><th align="left"><p><italic>CI</italic></p></th><th align="left"><p><italic>p</italic></p></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p>(Intercept)</p></td><td align="left"><p>9.51</p></td><td char="–" align="char"><p>9.05 – 9.96</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p><bold> < 0.001</bold></p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Metro</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.55</p></td><td char="–" align="char"><p>0.08 – 1.01</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p><bold>0.020</bold></p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>2 year degree</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.76</p></td><td char="–" align="char"><p>0.22 – 1.29</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p><bold>0.006</bold></p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>4 year degree</p></td><td align="left"><p>2.10</p></td><td char="–" align="char"><p>1.48 – 2.72</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p><bold> < 0.001</bold></p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Years experience</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.06</p></td><td char="–" align="char"><p>0.03 – 0.08</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p><bold> < 0.001</bold></p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Observations</p></td><td align="left" colspan="3"><p>592</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>R<sup>2</sup>/R<sup>2</sup> adjusted</p></td><td align="left" colspan="3"><p>0.117/0.111</p></td></tr></tbody></table> </ephtml> </p> <p>Bold values indicate the p significance levels. Since we show exact p values, any description such as *p <.05, **p <.01, and ***p <.001 is unecessary</p> <hd id="AN0186105189-19">Discussion</hd> <p>Building on the prolonged issue of workforce compensation in child care settings, this study provides evidence about substantial variations in wages by educational attainment and locale (urban–rural) that may impact ECE quality care and job satisfaction.</p> <p>Consistent with the prior research (Austin et al., [<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref85">4</reflink>]; Kim et al., [<reflink idref="bib31" id="ref86">31</reflink>]; Phillips et al., [<reflink idref="bib42" id="ref87">42</reflink>]), this study found that Mississippi early childhood teachers' average hourly wage of $10.93 remains significantly below the mean hourly wage of $14.60 reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics ([<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref88">10</reflink>]) for early childhood workers nationally. Noteworthy is the fact that our calculated average wage of $10.93 was just six cents higher than the $10.87 state figure reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS, [<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref89">9</reflink>]). This finding not only suggests that our data are reliable but it also highlights the particularly challenging economic situation for Mississippi's early childhood workforce, suggesting that the methodological approach of further stratifying geography by education and work experience filled previous research gaps. While the study found a positive association between educational attainment and wages—aligning with the previous literature (Cheeseman Newburger & Beckhusen, [<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref90">13</reflink>])—the wage gains associated with higher education levels appear modest. This echoes concerns raised by Phillips et al. ([<reflink idref="bib42" id="ref91">42</reflink>]) about stagnant wages despite increasing education levels in the field. These findings also align with the broader concept of wage compression in the ECE workforce. The lack of meaningful differentiation in pay based on the qualifications not only discourages workforce retention but also undermines efforts to improve the quality of early childhood education (Brown & Herbst, [<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref92">8</reflink>]; Coffey, [<reflink idref="bib15" id="ref93">15</reflink>]). This suggests that policies focused solely on increasing education requirements may be insufficient for meaningfully improving compensation.</p> <p>The positive correlation between years of experience and hourly wages aligns with general labor market trends. However, the small magnitude of this increase ($0.07 per additional year) suggests that experience may not be adequately rewarded or incentivized in the ECE sector, potentially contributing to the high turnover rates compared to other occupations noted in previous studies (Brown & Herbst, [<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref94">8</reflink>]; Whitebook & Sakai, [<reflink idref="bib53" id="ref95">53</reflink>]). This pattern further illustrates wage compression, as the gap between entry-level and experienced educators remain narrow, weakening financial incentives for career longevity and professional development.</p> <p>Geographic variations in wages present a more complex picture than some previous research. One Mississippi-based study found that while there was a lack of significant variation among metro categories (differing from some studies that found urban–rural divides by Roberts et al., [<reflink idref="bib44" id="ref96">44</reflink>]), lower wages were observed in small urban and rural areas compared to large urban areas partially aligning with previous findings on rural–urban disparities (Farewell et al., [<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref97">19</reflink>]). Interestingly, the highest wages were found in large urban nonmetro areas, a nuance not commonly highlighted in the previous literature. The presence of wage compression across geographic regions suggests that despite cost-of-living differences, the ECE workforce lacks sufficient flexibility to account for regional economic conditions, potentially due to funding constraints, subsidy structures, and market failures withing the sector (Hall et al., [<reflink idref="bib24" id="ref98">24</reflink>]; McLean, Austin, et al., [<reflink idref="bib34" id="ref99">34</reflink>]). This finding suggests that the relationship between urbanization and wages in the ECE sector may be more complex than a simple urban–rural divide, potentially reflecting local economic conditions or policy environments.</p> <p>The persistent low wages across all categories, despite variations by education and location, align with concerns raised in previous literature about the challenges of attracting and retaining qualified staff (Hall et al., [<reflink idref="bib24" id="ref100">24</reflink>]; Whitebook et al., [<reflink idref="bib56" id="ref101">56</reflink>]). The modest wage gains associated with higher education and experience may contribute to the workforce instability and quality concerns highlighted by researchers like Brown and Herbst ([<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref102">8</reflink>]) and Scarr et al. ([<reflink idref="bib45" id="ref103">45</reflink>]) about the impact of workforce wages on service quality within the ECE market. Wage compression accentuates these challenges by failing to adequately compensate higher skilled or more experienced workers, leading to dissatisfaction and increased turnover rates, which negatively impact child outcomes and program stability (Austin et al., [<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref104">4</reflink>]; Kim et al., [<reflink idref="bib31" id="ref105">31</reflink>]).</p> <hd id="AN0186105189-20">Limitations and future research</hd> <p>Although this study provides valuable insights into wage patterns in Mississippi's ECE sector, it's important to note that it represents a snapshot of a single state with a modest sample size. Future research could benefit from longitudinal studies to track wage changes over time and comparative analyses across multiple states to better understand regional variations and policy impacts. In addition, further examination of wage compression mechanisms, including salary ceilings and subsidy structures that limit wage growth, would provide deeper insights into the systemic challenges facing the ECE workforce. Investigating the relationship between wages and other factors such as center type (e.g., for-profit vs. nonprofit, as explored by Zhao & Lu, [<reflink idref="bib54" id="ref106">54</reflink>]), funding sources, and specific policy interventions could provide a more comprehensive understanding of the complex dynamics shaping early childhood teacher compensation.</p> <hd id="AN0186105189-21">Conclusion and policy considerations</hd> <p>The findings of this study, particularly the limited wage gains associated with education and experience, suggest that current policies and market conditions in Mississippi and places with similar socioeconomic and geographic profiles may be insufficient to address the chronic underpayment of early childhood workers noted by Coffey ([<reflink idref="bib15" id="ref107">15</reflink>]). The variations in wages, especially the lower wages in small urban and rural areas, highlight the need for targeted interventions that consider local socioeconomic contexts beyond geography. These results underscore the complex interplay of factors affecting early childhood teacher wages and reinforce the call for comprehensive policy approaches that address compensation alongside other aspects of job quality and professional development (McLean et al., [<reflink idref="bib33" id="ref108">33</reflink>]; Warner & Schoch, [<reflink idref="bib50" id="ref109">50</reflink>]).</p> <p>Specific policy changes may include:</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> Reforming wage structures to comparable pay levels based on education, experience, and job role, ensuring alignment with the broader education profession (Brown & Herbst, [<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref110">8</reflink>]; Cassidy et al., [<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref111">12</reflink>]; Hall et al., [<reflink idref="bib24" id="ref112">24</reflink>]);</item> <p></p> <item> Offering wage supplements, career ladders, and incentives for professional development to create financial rewards for educators advancing their qualifications (Bridges et al., [<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref113">7</reflink>]; McLean, et al., [<reflink idref="bib34" id="ref114">34</reflink>]);</item> <p></p> <item> Addressing systemic issues that contribute to the devaluation and underfunding of the early childhood workforce, which is predominantly female; therefore, challenging historical patterns of wage suppression in child care professions (Ackerman, [<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref115">1</reflink>]; Tuominen, [<reflink idref="bib48" id="ref116">48</reflink>]);</item> <p></p> <item> Supporting initiatives that enhance workplace conditions, build trusting relationships, increase self-efficacy, and make providers feel valued—all essential factors for ECE workforce stability and satisfaction (Warner & Schoch Davis, [<reflink idref="bib50" id="ref117">50</reflink>]).</item> </ulist> <p>The above are essential for facilitating meaningful improvements in ECE quality and worker retention. Addressing both immediate needs and long-term sustainability of early childhood educator wages, additional policy recommendations at a national level could adapt actions at state level (conceal for review) namely gaming revenue dedication (Louisiana), a payroll tax (Vermont), an education-based stipend model (Maine), apprenticeships with college credit (Texas), or career pathway training fund (Pennsylvania) (Mclean et al., [<reflink idref="bib33" id="ref118">33</reflink>]; [<reflink idref="bib58" id="ref119">58</reflink>], Warner & Schoch, [<reflink idref="bib50" id="ref120">50</reflink>]).</p> <p>This study contributes to the growing body of evidence on the persistent challenges facing the early childhood workforce, particularly in terms of compensation. The significant wage disparities among early childhood educators across different geographic locations, combined with the overall low average hourly rate of $10.93, highlight a critical issue in the ECE system that crosses geographical boundaries. Policymakers should prioritize comprehensive wage reform for early childhood educators, ensuring competitive compensation that reflects their critical role in child development. Early childhood education stakeholders must advocate for increased funding, standardized pay scales that recognize qualifications, and incentives to attract and retain quality teachers in underserved areas. The findings reinforce the need for innovative policy solutions that can effectively address wage compression and reduce turnover, while supporting the overall ECE quality and workforce stability.</p> <hd id="AN0186105189-22">Acknowledgements</hd> <p>The authors acknowledge the technical support offered by the Systems Change Lab at the Social Science Research Center, Mississippi State University.</p> <hd id="AN0186105189-23">Author contributions</hd> <p>KS structured the manuscript, researched the literature, interpreted the findings, and contributed to writing the manuscript. JMC curated and validated the data, analyzed and interpreted the findings, created visualizations and tables, and contributed to writing the manuscript. MRW, IHY, and CP researched the literature, interpreted the findings, and contributed to writing the manuscript. HH conceptualized the framework and contributed to writing the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.</p> <hd id="AN0186105189-24">Funding</hd> <p>This study was made possible through the financial support of the W.K.Kellogg Foundation. Additional support was provided by Mississippi State University's Division of Agriculture, Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine.</p> <hd id="AN0186105189-25">Availability of data and materials</hd> <p>The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to human subjects research considerations regarding the sensitivity of information. Deidentified data can be available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.</p> <hd id="AN0186105189-26">Declarations</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0186105189-27">Competing interests</hd> <p>The authors declare that no competing financial interests or personal relationships exist that could have influenced the findings and interpretations of the current study.</p> <hd id="AN0186105189-28">Publisher's Note</hd> <p>Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.</p> <ref id="AN0186105189-29"> <title> References </title> <blist> <bibl id="bib1" idref="ref31" type="bt">1</bibl> <bibtext> Ackerman DJ. The costs of being a child care teacher: Revisiting the problem of low wages. Educational Policy. 2006. 10.1177/0895904805285283</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib2" idref="ref9" type="bt">2</bibl> <bibtext> Alverson R, Ginn L, Gilbert J. Sustaining collaborative preschool partnerships and the challenges of educating the whole child. International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy. 2019. 10.1186/s40723-019-0065-6</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib3" idref="ref68" type="bt">3</bibl> <bibtext> Arndt S, Smith K, Urban M, Ellegaard T, Blue Swadener B, Murray C. Reconceptualising and (re)forming early childhood professional identities: Ongoing transnational policy discussions. Policy Futures in Education. 2021. 10.1177/1478210320976015</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib4" idref="ref32" type="bt">4</bibl> <bibtext> Austin LJE, Whitebook M, Dichter H. Financing early educator teacher quality: A closer look at assumptions that drive variations in estimating the cost of services. Center for the Study of Child Care Employment. 2019; 10: 12</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib5" idref="ref58" type="bt">5</bibl> <bibtext> Bassok D, Markowitz AJ, Player D, Zagardo M. Are parents' ratings and satisfaction with preschools related to program features?. AERA Open. 2018. 10.1177/2332858418759954</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib6" idref="ref40" type="bt">6</bibl> <bibtext> Becker RC, Herman BD, Gooze AN. The physical and mental health of head start staff: The Pennsylvania head start staff wellness survey, 2012. Preventing Chronic Disease. 2013. 10.5888/pcd10.130171</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib7" idref="ref71" type="bt">7</bibl> <bibtext> Bridges M, Fuller B, Huang DS, Hamre BK. Strengthening the early childhood workforce: How wage incentives may boost training and job stability. Early Education and Development. 2011. 10.1080/10409289.2010.514537</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib8" idref="ref43" type="bt">8</bibl> <bibtext> Brown J, Herbst CM. Minimum wage, worker quality, and consumer well-being: Evidence from the child care market. SSRN Electronic Journal. 2023. 10.2139/ssrn.4490167</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib9" idref="ref89" type="bt">9</bibl> <bibtext> Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2023). May 2023 state occupational employment and wage estimates: Mississippi. https://<ulink href="http://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes%5fms.htm#">www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes%5fms.htm#</ulink></bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2024). Occupational employment and wage statistics (OEWS) tables. https://<ulink href="http://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm">www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm</ulink></bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Carbone J, Cahn N. Vulnerability theory and the conception of time. In Law, Vulnerability, and the Responsive State: Beyond Equality and Liberty. 2023. 10.4324/9781003323242-16</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Cassidy DJ, Lippard C, King EK, Lower JK. Improving the lives of teachers in the early care and education field to better support children and families. Family Relations. 2019; 68; 3: 288-297. 10.1111/fare.12362</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Cheeseman Newburger, J, & Beckhusen, J. (2022). Teachers are among most educated, yet their pay lags average teachers' earnings declining, lower than similarly educated workers. https://<ulink href="http://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs">www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs</ulink></bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Cheruvu R, Souto-Manning M, Lencl T, Chin-Calubaquib M. Race, isolation, and exclusion: What early childhood teacher educators need to know about the experiences of pre-service teachers of color. Urban Review. 2015. 10.1007/s11256-014-0291-8</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Coffey, M. (2022). Still underpaid and unequal: Early childhood educators face low pay and a worsening wage gap. https://<ulink href="http://www.americanprogress.org/article/still-underpaid-and-unequal/">www.americanprogress.org/article/still-underpaid-and-unequal/</ulink></bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> CSCCE. (2024). Mississippi—Early Childhood Workforce Index 2024 – CSCCE. https://cscce.berkeley.edu/workforce-index-2024/states/mississippi/</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Dynia JM, Koury AJ, Bates RA. Food insecurity and food practices among child care workers during COVID-19. medRχiv. 2025. 10.1101/2025.02.20.25322598</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Louisiana Policy Institute for Children. (2021). Early childhood improving school readiness. Senate resolution 29. https://doe.louisiana.gov/docs/default-source/early-childhood/senate-resolution-29.pdf?sfvrs</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Farewell CV, Quinlan J, Melnick E, Powers J, Puma J. Job Demands and resources experienced by the early childhood education workforce serving high-need populations. Early Childhood Education Journal. 2022; 50; 2: 197-206. 10.1007/s10643-020-01143-4</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Folbre N. Should women care less? Intrinsic motivation and gender inequality. British Journal of Industrial Relations. 2012. 10.1111/bjir.12000</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Gould, E, & Blair, H. (2020). Who's paying now? The explicit and implicit costs of the current early care and education system. In Economic Policy Institute. https://<ulink href="http://www.epi.org/publication/whos-paying-now-costs-of-the-current-ece-system">www.epi.org/publication/whos-paying-now-costs-of-the-current-ece-system</ulink>.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Gulati, R, & Wadhwa, V. (2021). Early childhood education and school readiness: An Indian perspective. In Children in India: Opportunities and Challenges.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Hacioglu B, Burns B, Davidson A, Perlman M, White LA. Examining the stability and durability of child care arrangements during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. Canadian Public Policy. 2024; 50; 3: 340-363. 10.3138/cpp.2023-037</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Hall T, Fares I, Markowitz AJ, Miller-Bains K, Bassok D. Compensation and staffing challenges in child care: Statewide evidence from pandemic relief applications. Education Finance and Policy. 2023. 10.1162/edfp_a_00410</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Hanna, H, McCown, J.S, Grace, C, Long, B, Brown, D, Poole, C, & Bell, L. (2023). Exploring a market failure: The 2023 Mississippi child care teacher wages survey. https://scl.ssrc.msstate.edu/mississippi-child-care-teachers-wages-survey/</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Hathorn, B. (2012). Career development survey. Career Development Roundtable, November.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Herzenberg, S, Price, M, & Bradley, D. (2005). Losing ground in early childhood education: Declining workforce qualifications in an expanding Industry, 1979–2004. https://<ulink href="http://www.epi.org/publication/study%5fece%5fsummary/">www.epi.org/publication/study%5fece%5fsummary/</ulink></bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> HRSA Maternal & Child Health. (2021). Mississippi - 2021 - III.B. Overview of the State. https://mchb.tvisdata.hrsa.gov/Narratives/Overview/9a62acf8-1ab6-4e9a-b92f-9037110117e7</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Johnson AD, Phillips DA, Schochet ON, Martin A, Castle S, Martin A. To whom little Is given, much is expected: ECE teacher stressors and supports as determinants of classroom quality. Early Childhood Research Quarterly. 2021. 10.1016/j.ecresq.2020.07.002</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Karoly, L. A. (2012). A golden opportunity: Advancing California's early care and education workforce professional development system. <ulink href="http://www.rand.org">www.rand.org</ulink></bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Kim H, Brand ST, Zeltzer R. Exploring the current landscape of the United States early childhood care and education workforce. Early Childhood Education Journal. 2024. 10.1007/s10643-024-01730-9</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Liu L, Joseph GE, Taylor JM, Hassairi N, Soderberg JS. Early childhood educators pay equity: A dream deferred. Early Childhood Education Journal. 2023; 53; 2: 463-476. 10.1007/S10643-023-01600-W/TABLES/2</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Mclean, C, Whitebook, M, & Roh, E. (2019). From unlivable wages to just pay for early educators. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2qb2h765#supplemental</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> McLean, C, Austin, L. J. E, Whitebook, M, & Olson, K. L. (2021). Early childhood workforce index 2020. In The Early Childhood Educator Workforce. https://cscce.berkeley.edu/workforce-index-2020/report-pdf/</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Mississippi Department of Education. (2024). Early learning collaboratives and state invested pre-K programs. https://mdek12.org/EC/Early-Learning-Collaboratives</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Mississippi State Department of Health. (2025). Child care provider search portal. https://<ulink href="http://www.msdh.provider.webapps.ms.gov/ccsearch.aspx">www.msdh.provider.webapps.ms.gov/ccsearch.aspx</ulink></bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Muruvi, W, Powell, A, Kim, Y, Petig, A. C, & Austin, L. J. E. (2023). The emotional and physical well-being of early educators in California: Early educator well-being series. https://cscce.berkeley.edu/publications/report/CAemotional-physical-wellbeing-2023</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> National Research Council. (2015). Status and well-being of the workforce. In L. Allen spsampsps B. B. Kelly (Eds.), Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 (pp. 461–481). Institute of Medicine and National Research Council. https://doi.org/10.17226/19401</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> OECD. Building a high-quality early childhood education and care workforce furter results from the starting strong survey. TALIS OECD. 2020. 10.1787/b90bba3d-en</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Office of Head Start. (2024, June 30). Head Start services. Administration for Children & Families. https://<ulink href="http://www.acf.hhs.gov/ohs/about/head-start">www.acf.hhs.gov/ohs/about/head-start</ulink></bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Otten JJ, Bradford VA, Stover B, Hill HD, Osborne C, Getts K, Seixas N. The culture of health in early care and education: Workers' wages, health, and job characteristics. Health Affairs. 2019. 10.1377/hlthaff.2018.05493</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Phillips DA, Anderson S, Rupa Datta A, Kisker E. The changing portrait of center-based preschool teachers: 1990 and 2012. Children and Youth Services Review. 2019. 10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.104558</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Rafiq S, Kamran F, Afzal A. Enhancing professional motivation in the early childhood teacher education: Unraveling issues and challenges. Journal of Social Sciences Development. 2023. 10.53664/jssd/02-01-2023-03-26-43</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Roberts AM, Gallagher KC, Daro AM, Iruka IU, Sarver SL. Workforce well-being: Personal and workplace contributions to early educators' depression across settings. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology. 2019. 10.1016/j.appdev.2017.09.007</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Scarr S, Eisenberg M, Deater-Deckard K. Measurement of quality in child care centers. Early Childhood Research Quarterly. 1994. 10.1016/0885-2006(94)90002-7</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Schoch, A. D, Gerson, C. S, Halle, T, & Bredeson, M. (2023). Children's learning and development benefits from high-quality early care and education: A summary of the evidence. OPRE Report #2023–226. https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/school-readiness/effective-practice-guides/social-emotional-development</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Sollars V. Children's achievements in ECEC: parents' expectations. International Journal of Early Years Education. 2023. 10.1080/09669760.2021.1961080</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Tuominen MC. Where teacher can make a livable wage organizing to address gender and racial inequalities in paid child care work. 2022; Routledge</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Venter L. A systems perspective on early childhood development education in South Africa. International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy. 2022. 10.1186/s40723-022-00100-5</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Warner, M, & Schoch, A. D. (2024). Aspects of well-being for the child care and early education workforce. OPRE Report #2023–339. https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/video/responsive-caregiving-effective-practice-support-childrens-</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Warner ME. (Not) valuing care: A review of recent popular economic reports on preschool in the US. Feminist Economics. 2009; 15; 2: 73-95. 10.1080/13545700802699512</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Whitebook, M, Phillips, D, & Howes, C. (2014). Worthy work, STILL unlivable wages: The early childhood workforce 25 years after the National Child Care Staffing Study. <ulink href="http://www.irle.berkeley.edu/cscce">www.irle.berkeley.edu/cscce</ulink></bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Whitebook M, Sakai L. Turnover begets turnover: An examination of job and occupational instability among child care center staff. Early Childhood Research Quarterly. 2003. 10.1016/S0885-2006(03)00040-1</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Whitebook M, Sakai LM, Howes C. Improving and sustaining center quality: The role of naeyc accreditation and staff stability. Early Education and Development. 2004. 10.1207/s15566935eed1503_4WhitakerWhitaker</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Zhao J, Lu J. The overpaid and underpaid: A comparison of labor costs in nonprofit and for-profit service organizations. Fudan Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences. 2019. 10.1007/s40647-018-0228-9</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Zhao X, Jeon L. Examining the associations between teacher job satisfaction, workplace climate, and well-being resources within head start programs. Early Education and Development. 2023. 10.1080/10409289.2023.2221765</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Linnan L, Arandia G, Bateman L A, Vaughn A, Smith N, Ward D (2017) The health and working conditions of conditionsof women employed in child care. International journal of environmental research and public health, 14(3), 283. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14030283</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> McLean C, Austin LJE, Whitebook M, Olson KL (2021) Early childhood workforce index – 2020. Berkeley CA: Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved from https://cscce.berkeley.edu/workforce-index-2020/report-pdf/</bibtext> </blist> </ref> <aug> <p>By Katerina Sergi; John Stephen McCown; Mary Rebecca Read-Wahidi; Ismail H. Yigit; Callie Poole and Heather Hanna</p> <p>Reported by Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author</p> </aug> <nolink nlid="nl1" bibid="bib22" firstref="ref1"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl2" bibid="bib46" firstref="ref2"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl3" bibid="bib47" firstref="ref3"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl4" bibid="bib31" firstref="ref4"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl5" bibid="bib37" firstref="ref5"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl6" bibid="bib44" firstref="ref6"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl7" bibid="bib52" firstref="ref7"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl8" bibid="bib56" firstref="ref8"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl9" bibid="bib49" firstref="ref10"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl10" bibid="bib19" firstref="ref11"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl11" bibid="bib32" firstref="ref12"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl12" bibid="bib42" firstref="ref13"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl13" bibid="bib11" firstref="ref14"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl14" bibid="bib30" firstref="ref15"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl15" bibid="bib20" firstref="ref19"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl16" bibid="bib27" firstref="ref20"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl17" bibid="bib34" firstref="ref21"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl18" bibid="bib38" firstref="ref22"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl19" bibid="bib51" firstref="ref23"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl20" bibid="bib14" firstref="ref24"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl21" bibid="bib33" firstref="ref26"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl22" bibid="bib39" firstref="ref27"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl23" bibid="bib10" firstref="ref28"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl24" bibid="bib16" firstref="ref29"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl25" bibid="bib15" firstref="ref30"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl26" bibid="bib13" firstref="ref33"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl27" bibid="bib21" firstref="ref34"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl28" bibid="bib26" firstref="ref35"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl29" bibid="bib41" firstref="ref36"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl30" bibid="bib57" firstref="ref39"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl31" bibid="bib17" firstref="ref41"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl32" bibid="bib50" firstref="ref45"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl33" bibid="bib53" firstref="ref47"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl34" bibid="bib28" firstref="ref48"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl35" bibid="bib24" firstref="ref51"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl36" bibid="bib29" firstref="ref52"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl37" bibid="bib45" firstref="ref53"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl38" bibid="bib54" firstref="ref54"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl39" bibid="bib23" firstref="ref59"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl40" bibid="bib18" firstref="ref61"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl41" bibid="bib43" firstref="ref62"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl42" bibid="bib25" firstref="ref64"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl43" bibid="bib55" firstref="ref70"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl44" bibid="bib36" firstref="ref81"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl45" bibid="bib603" firstref="ref82"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl46" bibid="bib35" firstref="ref83"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl47" bibid="bib40" firstref="ref84"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl48" bibid="bib12" firstref="ref111"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl49" bibid="bib48" firstref="ref116"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl50" bibid="bib58" firstref="ref119"></nolink>
Header DbId: eric
DbLabel: ERIC
An: EJ1475198
AccessLevel: 3
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: Compensation Challenges in Early Childhood Education: An Analysis of Mississippi's Child Care Workforce
– Name: Language
  Label: Language
  Group: Lang
  Data: English
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Katerina+Sergi%22">Katerina Sergi</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3777-0327">0000-0003-3777-0327</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22John+Stephen+McCown%22">John Stephen McCown</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Mary+Rebecca+Read-Wahidi%22">Mary Rebecca Read-Wahidi</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ismail+H%2E+Yigit%22">Ismail H. Yigit</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Callie+Poole%22">Callie Poole</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Heather+Hanna%22">Heather Hanna</searchLink>
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22International+Journal+of+Child+Care+and+Education+Policy%22"><i>International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy</i></searchLink>. 2025 19.
– Name: Avail
  Label: Availability
  Group: Avail
  Data: Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
– Name: PeerReviewed
  Label: Peer Reviewed
  Group: SrcInfo
  Data: Y
– Name: Pages
  Label: Page Count
  Group: Src
  Data: 18
– Name: DatePubCY
  Label: Publication Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2025
– Name: TypeDocument
  Label: Document Type
  Group: TypDoc
  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
– Name: Audience
  Label: Education Level
  Group: Audnce
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Early+Childhood+Education%22">Early Childhood Education</searchLink>
– Name: Subject
  Label: Descriptors
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Early+Childhood+Education%22">Early Childhood Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Early+Childhood+Teachers%22">Early Childhood Teachers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Compensation+%28Remuneration%29%22">Compensation (Remuneration)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teacher+Salaries%22">Teacher Salaries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Wages%22">Wages</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Salary+Wage+Differentials%22">Salary Wage Differentials</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teacher+Qualifications%22">Teacher Qualifications</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Rural+Urban+Differences%22">Rural Urban Differences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teaching+Experience%22">Teaching Experience</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Attainment%22">Educational Attainment</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Regional+Characteristics%22">Regional Characteristics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Differences%22">Differences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Job+Security%22">Job Security</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Capacity+Building%22">Capacity Building</searchLink>
– Name: Subject
  Label: Geographic Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mississippi%22">Mississippi</searchLink>
– Name: DOI
  Label: DOI
  Group: ID
  Data: 10.1186/s40723-025-00145-2
– Name: ISSN
  Label: ISSN
  Group: ISSN
  Data: 1976-5681<br />2288-6729
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: The early childhood workforce in the U.S. faces significant challenges, including low wages, high turnover, and inadequate support, affecting the quality of education and care for children. The existing research on early childhood education typically identifies low wages as an issue, but lacks advanced analysis of rural-urban pay disparities and how educational qualifications interact with location to affect compensation. This leaves a significant gap in understanding wage compression across the early childhood education (ECE) field. Utilizing the framework of wage compression, which posits that higher qualifications may not equate to higher pay, this study uses data from the 2023 Mississippi Wages Survey to analyze how job experience, educational attainment, and geographic location impact wages for early childhood educators. The results show that average hourly wages for teachers are approximately $10.93, significantly below national standards. Hourly compensation in large urban areas reaches $11.66, as compared to $11.02 and $9.95 per hour in rural and small urban areas respectively. Years of experience, educational attainment, and geography show the modest effects on wage differences. Higher education correlates with better pay; however, wage increases remain modest, indicating policies targeting only education may insufficiently address compensation issues. Geographic disparities exist, with urban areas generally offering higher wages than rural ones, but small urban areas report lower pay than expected. These findings underscore systemic undervaluation and necessitate policy interventions, such as wage increases and support for professional development, tailored to local contexts, to enhance workforce stability and childcare quality. Wage reforms and increased funding can contribute to elevating the profession. Future research should include longitudinal studies across multiple states for a comprehensive understanding of these issues.
– Name: AbstractInfo
  Label: Abstractor
  Group: Ab
  Data: As Provided
– Name: DateEntry
  Label: Entry Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2025
– Name: AN
  Label: Accession Number
  Group: ID
  Data: EJ1475198
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=EJ1475198
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1186/s40723-025-00145-2
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 18
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Early Childhood Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Early Childhood Teachers
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Compensation (Remuneration)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Teacher Salaries
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Wages
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Salary Wage Differentials
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Teacher Qualifications
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Rural Urban Differences
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Teaching Experience
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Educational Attainment
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Regional Characteristics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Differences
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Job Security
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Capacity Building
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Mississippi
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Compensation Challenges in Early Childhood Education: An Analysis of Mississippi's Child Care Workforce
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Katerina Sergi
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: John Stephen McCown
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Mary Rebecca Read-Wahidi
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Ismail H. Yigit
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Callie Poole
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Heather Hanna
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 12
              Type: published
              Y: 2025
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 1976-5681
            – Type: issn-electronic
              Value: 2288-6729
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 19
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy
              Type: main
ResultId 1