“There was so much love and strength in the room, even as they all articulated the dire state of early childhood education, from their different perspectives. One observation is that, although this system is not sustainable, it is flourishing in its current state of disrepair, with policies and plans, programs, and promises. Yes, the system is robust, complex, and redundant, but the people – those under care and those care givers – are being shredded by the very gears of bureaucracy designed to support them.”

These powerful words come from an expert in building intercultural competency frameworks who attended Saturday’s robust discussion on how racial disparities in the child care sector hold back Black and brown children and their teachers.

Nearly 100 educators, providers, staff, and advocates came together to discuss the findings in a new report by the Children First Racial Equity Early Childhood Provider Council, Racial Equity at the Forefront: Priorities of Early Childhood Providers in Pennsylvania. The Provider Council consists of early childhood education (ECE) providers in Philadelphia and is working to embed racial equity in all aspects of child care quality improvement such as program development, business development, and the definition of quality.

Regarding quality, only 33% of Black children in Philadelphia and 40% of Hispanic children attend high-quality child care programs, compared to 42% of white children. The lack of quality denies them learning opportunities to set them up for success in life.

But it’s hard to deliver high-quality programs when the poverty-level wages deter qualified teachers from entering or staying in the field. PA child care professionals – mainly women – make on average $12.43/hour and Black and Hispanic early educators tend to be assigned the lowest paid positions. Even with the same higher education degrees, ECE professionals make 22% less than teachers in the K-8 systems.

Benefits that their K-12 peers and most other Pennsylvania workers expect like health insurance, paid vacation time, or reasonable hours do not exist for the majority of ECE employees. “We need a livable wage, a comprehensive benefit package for early childhood educators, and loan forgiveness like our education peers in the K-12 system,” said panelist Dionne Wright-Chambers of Learn, Empower, Grow Consulting Group.

The lack of racial equity is more complex than higher wages and benefits. Child care centers, because they are independently owned and operated, don’t have access to the support systems found in the K-12 system even though ECE providers PREPARE kids for kindergarten and beyond.

• They don’t have a team of translators in order to communicate with parents who don’t speak English.
• They don’t have a team of employees trained to navigate complicated government regulations.
• And they sure don’t come close to having the staff capacity to work with children with mental health needs and learning differences.

That last point is significant because ECE teachers are seeing a growth in disruptive behavior that requires more staff intervention and mental health supports. But teachers and owners are already stretched thin, so, with much regret, kids who act out are suspended or expelled from programs or are just not allowed in at all.

Despite all the challenges – and more – ECE teachers love their work and are dedicated to their field. Panelist Sheeba Ming  phrased it perfectly: “When I go in the classroom and I see their faces, I know that what I do is so important because I have a chance to impact that blueprint of the [early years]. That’s the blueprint for how they see themselves, the world, and how they make sense of why they’re here.”

Read more about racial equity in early learning in the feature story about the convening in the 费城询问者.