Preschool teachers get paid much less than kindergarten and elementary teachers, a pay gap that can hurt student learning, according to a new federal report.
The U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services released a report today that highlights the gap in pay for early-education teachers and the impact that inequity has on schools’ ability to attract and retain experienced, high-quality staff with higher levels of education.
The national median annual wage for preschool teachers is $28,570, 55 percent of wages earned by kindergarten teachers ($51,640) and 52 percent of the pay for elementary school teachers ($54,890).
In Georgia, the median annual wage for preschool teachers is $28,190, while for kindergarten teachers it’s $53,840. For elementary school teachers it’s $53,790.
Gov. Nathan Deal has recently pushed to pump more money into teacher pay and diminish the pay gap between pre-kindergarten teachers and other education groups.
“The quality of any early care and learning setting is directly related to the quality of the staff, their education and training and understanding of child development and the ability to translate that understanding through effective practice,” said Linda Smith, deputy assistant secretary for early childhood development, administration for children and families, in a released statement.
“Wage parity across settings is critical to attracting and retaining a high-quality workforce, essential for a high-quality program.”
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