ATLANTA — Childcare workers in the state of Georgia earn among the lowest wages for their jobs in the country, according to a report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
AECF is a nonprofit foundation focused on improving the life and well-being for America’s children and has been active since 1948.
The organization’s latest “Kids County” report, which covers topics related to health, education, family needs, and childcare, reported that Georgia workers earn a median wage of $11.71 per hour.
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They said that’s $2 lower than the national average for childcare workers. Nationally, the average worker earns $13.71, or $28,520 per year.
Georgia’s childcare workers earn $27,490 instead, according to the foundation.
While Georgia’s workers are making lower than most of the nation for the same job, taking care of children, the profession overall faces similar circumstances everywhere.
“Nationwide, those entrusted with the education and care of our youngest residents earn lower wages than 98% of professionals,” according to AECF.
Zooming in and focusing on the Atlanta area rather than Georgia writ large, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the average hourly wage for a childcare worker was $13.49 per hour, or $28,060 per year.
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Speaking with AECF, Amy Jacobs, Georgia’s Commissioner of the Department of Early Care and Learning, said the COVID-19 pandemic had shown the need for high-quality childcare and early education more clearly than before.
“Child care workers, or early education teachers, are the most vital part of any classroom. We recognized and rewarded these essential teachers by allocating more than $100 million in one-time bonuses for them,” Jacobs said. “Our next step is to reduce barriers and provide financial assistance to help early education teachers obtain a professional credential or degree and remain in the early education classroom.”
Geographically, the average wages for childcare workers in the U.S. were higher on the West Coast and in New England, as well as in Hawaii and Alaska. Wages in those areas ranged between $30,070 and $41,700 on average, according to BLS.
As an industry, childcare worker is defined as those who “typically work in childcare centers, their own home, or private households,” as well as “attend to children’s needs while helping to foster early development,” according to BLS. The agency said part-time work and irregular hours are common.
Turning back to Georgia more generally, state labor data shows that the pandemic had a big, and negative, impact on staffing levels for childcare workers in the state.
According to GDOL data, childcare and support services managers had a nearly 22% drop in workers from 2020 to 2021. The following year, staffing levels rose 14%, but in terms of overall staff, the loss of workers during the pandemic has not yet broken even.
Going the opposite direction, childcare providers and assistants lost fewer workers in 2020, with a 5.7% dip in the workforce, but that number plunged nearly 15% from 2021 to 2022.
Summarizing the situation, the Annie E. Casey Foundation said it was concerned about childcare, and children’s well-being, in the Peach State.
“Georgia’s low birth-weight rate jumped significantly after leveling off in recent years, child poverty remains high, and low wages for childcare workers plague the industry that allows other Georgians to participate in the workforce,” the foundation said in its Georgia report.
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