A Decade of Data
The Compensati on and Credenti als
of Arizona’s Early Care and
Educati on Workforce
Division for School Readiness
Governor’s Offi ce for Children, Youth and Families
A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce
Author
Jillynn Stevens, Ph. D., MSW
Director of Early Childhood Policy
Children’s Action Alliance
Phoenix, Arizona
Copyright 2008 by State of Arizona
All rights reserved. Permission is given to reproduce this report, in whole or in part, for educational or personal
use, provided such copies are not disseminated for profit and each copy bears the statement, “ Copyright 2008 by
State of Arizona. All rights reserved. Used with permission.”
Published 2008
For additional copies of this report contact:
Division for School Readiness, Governor’s Office for Children, Youth and Families.
1700 W. Washington, Suite 101
Phoenix AZ 85007. ( 602) 542- 3620
http:// gocyf. az. gov/ SR/
For electronic copies go to:
http:// gocyf. az. gov/ SR/
http:// www. azchildren. org/
http:// www. azftf. gov/
________________________________________
Photo credits
P. Winberg, photo page iii
Margan Zajdowicz, photo page ix
stock photo source, photo page 1
A. Khoshjam, photo page 15
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iii A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce
This report was commissioned by the Arizona Governor’s Office for Children, Youth and Families - Division
for School Readiness, to update knowledge about Arizona’s early care and education workforce.
— And —
Was made possible through generous financial support from
The Governor’s Office for Children, Youth and Families - Division for School Readiness
with funding from the Child Care Development Fund,
The Arizona Head Start State Collaboration Office,
and First Things First
An Advisory Committee of early care and education experts provided the vision, direction, editing,
and hard work needed for the development of this report. Thank you for contributing your time and
knowledge.
Rhian Evans Allvin, The Brecon Group
Amy Corriveau, Arizona Department of Education
Irene Jacobs, Governor’s Office of Children, Youth and Families
Amy Kemp, First Things First
Eva Lester, Governor’s Office for Children, Youth and Families – Division for School Readiness
Bruce Liggett, Arizona Child Care Association
Donna Migliore, First Things First
Sonya Montoya, Arizona Head Start Association
Dana Wolfe Naimark, Children’s Action Alliance
Charity Russell, Head Start State Collaboration Office
Alicia Smith, First Things First
Jillynn Stevens, Children’s Action Alliance
Susan Wilkins, Association for Supportive Child Care
Karen Woodhouse, First Things First
Tony Zabicki, Arizona Department of Economic Security, Child Care Administration
The Advisory Committee wishes to thank Ken Andersen and the staff of the Maricopa County Office of
Research and Reporting for conducting the survey and compiling the results.
We would also like to thank Jillynn Stevens, Ph. D., MSW, and Children’s Action Alliance for analyzing the
survey results and writing the final report.
Our appreciation to Donna Migliore for the graphic design, illustration and technical editing of this report.
Special thanks to the early care and education professionals who took the time to participate in this
survey. We appreciate your dedication to the field and to the education of young children.
Acknowledgements
A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce iv
Early care and education ( ECE) in Arizona
helps not only children and families, but
businesses and communities to prosper.
As a fundamental infrastructure support,
ECE is similar to transportation, housing,
roads, and health care in supporting work-ing
families to get ahead. Not only does ECE
enable parents to maintain employment by
providing a safe, dependable environment
for their children, but high quality ECE also
provides opportunities to young children
for their healthy development so they are
ready to succeed in school and in life.
Between 2000 and 2006, Arizona’s popula-tion
grew by an astounding 20.2%. During
that same period, there was remarkable
growth in the number of children birth
through age five in Arizona, which increased
by 25% to 576,938.1 In 2006, an estimated
321,000 of these children spent a portion of
their day in the care of a non- parent relative
or in a more formal child care setting. 2
The ECE center- based workforce in Arizona
is substantial; there are over 20,000 staff
including Assistant Teachers, Teachers,
Teacher Directors, and Administrative Direc-tors.
A Decade of Data: The Compensation
and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and
Education Workforce has reached a ten-year
milestone. Beginning in 1997, data
were gathered based on telephone surveys
of all licensed ECE centers throughout the
state ( excluding home- based businesses).
Additional surveys were conducted in 2001,
2004 and 2007. Together, the four surveys
provide a decade of trend data on key
indicators pertaining to the status of ECE
professionals, while also identifying future
needed improvements in the field. The term
“ early care and education” or ECE, is used
throughout this report to reflect the variety
of services available to young children birth
through age eight and those enrolled in
licensed school age programs.
A major occurrence over the course of the
surveys was the passage of Proposition 203
in November, 2006. This statewide ballot ini-tiative
approved an 80 cent tax on tobacco
products to fund First Things First, a system
to finance comprehensive quality improve-ments
for early childhood development and
health. The tax revenue received— an esti-mated
$ 150 million annually— will infuse
resources statewide to achieve the mission
of First Things First to increase the quality
of, and access to, the early childhood devel-opment
and health system that will work
to ensure a child entering school comes
healthy and ready to succeed. First Things
First marks an unprecedented opportunity
in Arizona to make early childhood develop-ment
a priority by involving families, the ECE
field, allied health professionals, businesses,
policy makers, and communities in working
together to ensure that future generations
are equipped with the skills necessary to
compete in a global market.
Executive Summary
A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce
A Decade of Data
The top news stories in 1997 included the
deaths of both Princess Diana and Mother
Teresa, the British hand- over of Hong Kong
to the Chinese, and a cloned sheep named
Dolly. The last decade brought a new Presi-dent,
the attack on the World Trade Center,
two wars and the Red Sox victory in the
World Series for the first time in 86 years.
Exciting technological advances in the past
decade have allowed scientists to study the
brain, leading to new understanding about
how young children develop— about their
capabilities and vulnerabilities— and how
their development is influenced by the
work of caregivers and teachers. 3 With the
recognition of the importance of brain devel-opment
in providing a foundation for the
full range of human competencies including
cognitive, linguistic, social, and emotional4
states across the nation are moving to
develop or strengthen early care and edu-cation
systems to support each child— their
most precious resource— in reaching his or
her potential. Arizona has joined this new
wave by focusing on the brain development
of young children and its many implications.
Central to quality early care and education
is a highly skilled and educated workforce.
Together with parents, ECE staff are critical
in developing positive, responsive relation-ships
with children that serve as the basis
for lifelong learning, behavior and health.
At no time in their lives will their brains
develop more quickly, but children from
birth through age five do not have significant
public investments made on their behalf
that acknowledge that development. Chart
1 depicts brain growth and public invest-ments
by age in Arizona. Eighty- five percent
of a child’s core brain structure is formed by
age three, however less than 4% of public
investments in education and development
occur during the same time period. 5
The future of Arizona depends on its abil-ity
to foster the well- being of the next
generation. Today’s young children will be
tomorrow’s citizens, workers, and parents.
Wise investments in children and families
now, will be paid back by the next genera-tion
through a lifetime of productivity and
responsible citizenship. 6
A Decade of Data: The Compensation and
Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Edu-cation
Workforce marks ten years in which
trends can be identified by comparing
survey results from 1997 to 2007. Longitudi-nal
findings in the areas of wages, benefits,
length of employment, and education levels
of the ECE workforce were analyzed.
Executive Summary
Chart 1.7
A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce vi
Key Findings
Wages
In Arizona, early care and education staff
earn salaries lower than many other pro-fessions,
including Kindergarten teachers,
pest control workers, hairstylists, landscape
workers and even coatroom attendants.
The comparison with Kindergarten teach-ers
is particularly relevant. Early care and
education teachers interact with children
during the time when they experience the
most dramatic brain development of their
lives yet ECE teachers are paid less than half
of what Kindergarten teachers earn.
Children who participate in high quality,
early care and education settings enter
school more ready to succeed because of
the skills of early care and education profes-sionals.
In order to attract and retain highly
trained and experienced ECE staff, there is a
critical need to invest in the early care and
education workforce in a way that reflects
the value they add to the education con-tinuum
of young children.
The median salary for Assistant Teachers is
$ 9.00 per hour and the median salary for
Teachers, only $ 9.75 per hour. Working full-time
and full- year, these hourly wages are
below poverty level income for a family of
four. The median salary for Teacher Directors
is $ 13.50 per hour and for Administrative
Directors, $ 16.82 per hour.
Adjusting for inflation, hourly wages among
ECE professionals made little progress over
the last ten years, ranging from an increase
of $ 1.57 for Assistant Teachers to $ 3.17 for
Teacher Directors. 8
Level of education can be an important
factor in compensation. In the 2007 survey,
employers pay higher median salaries when
they require a higher minimum level of edu-cation
for each job category. For example,
for early care and education Teachers the
median salary paid by employers who
require only a high school education is $ 9.00
per hour. This rises to $ 13.50 per hour for
employers who require some college and
to $ 20.00 per hour for those that require a
college degree.
Executive Summary
Chart 2.
i
vii A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce
Benefits
Most ECE professionals working full- time
have access to some benefits from their
employer such as health and dental insur-ance
and paid days off. The percentage of
early education professionals with employ-ers
who pay a portion of health and dental
insurance remained largely constant over
the decade.
Access to key benefits for full- time employ-ees
has increased over the past decade in
all other areas except tuition reimburse-ment
and payment for workshops or
conferences.
Access to paid vacation days went up
4% from 2001 to 2007.
Access to reduced child care fees
increased slightly from 76% to 78%
between 1997 and 2007.
Access to unpaid maternity leave
increased 16% from 1997 to 2007.
Access to paid maternity leave went up
7% from 1997 to 2007.
Access to paid registrations for work-shops
decreased by 7% since the 1997
survey.
Access to tuition reimbursement also
declined slightly from 58% in 1997 to
56% in 2007.
Access to retirement plans went up 10%
since the 1997 survey.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Executive Summary
Chart 3.
* Includes designated vacation leave and paid time off that can be used for vaca-tion.
1997 data was not comparable.
0 50 100
Paid Days For Vacation*
89%
2007 93%
2001
0 50 100
Reduced Child Care Fees
76%
2007 78%
1997
0 50 100
Unpaid Maternity Leave
69%
2007 85%
1997
0 50 100
Paid Maternity Leave
19%
2007 26%
1997
0 50 100
Paid Registration for Workshops
88%
2007 81%
1997
0 50 100
Tuition Reimbursement
58%
2007 56%
1997
0 50 100
Retirement Plan
47%
2007 57%
2001
Full- Time Early Care and Education Professionals
With Selected Benefits, 1997- 2007
A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce viii
Length of Employment
Over the decade of surveys, Assistant
Teachers experienced the greatest turnover
in the first two years of employment. Teach-ers,
Teacher Directors and Administrative
Directors had greater longevity. Longer ten-ures
of employment are the highest among
employees of Head Start, public schools and
other non- profits, particularly for Assistant
Teachers and Teachers. Longevity is lower
overall in for- profit centers.
From 1997 to 2007, there was a modest
increase in retention among all four job
roles surveyed.
The percentage of Assistant Teachers
still on the job after five years was 14%
in 1997 and 16% in 2007.
In 1997, 30% of Teachers stayed on the
job for at least five years. In 2007, 33%
of Teachers were still on the job after
five years.
The percentage of Teacher Directors
still on the job after five years was 46%
in 1997, and 48% in 2007.
In 1997, 58% of Administrative Directors
were still on the job after five years. In
2007, 61% of Administrative Directors
were still on the job after five years.
•
•
•
•
•
Executive Summary
Chart 4.
0 50 100
Assistant
Teachers
14% 16%
2007
1997
0 50 100
Teachers
30% 33%
2007
1997
0 50 100
Teacher
Directors
46% 48%
2007
1997
0 50 100
Administrative
Directors
58%
61%
2007
1997
Early Care and Education Staff Employed
Five Years or More, 1997- 2007
ix A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce
Education
The Arizona Department of Health Services
( DHS) sets the foundation for minimum
education levels for early care and educa-tion
staff in licensed child care centers.
Some employers required education levels
above those set by DHS. With the exception
of Assistant Teachers, the trend data ( Chart
5) indicates that all other ECE staff realized
decreases in employer- required educational
levels over the past 10 years.
Assistant Teachers: During the decade
since our first survey, there has been
a slight increase in the proportion
of employers who require Assistant
Teachers to have some college edu-cation
or a college degree, rising
from 5% in 1997 to 12% in 2007.
Teachers: In 1997, 39% of early care and
education employers required Teachers
to have some college or be a college
graduate, while in 2007 only 27% had
similar educational requirements.
The biggest drop in this requirement
occurred between 2004 and 2007.
Teacher Directors: From 1997 to 2007,
fewer Teacher Directors were required
to have some college education or be a
college graduate. In 1997, 67% of ECE
employers required Teacher Directors to
have some college or be a college grad-uate
compared with only 55% in 2007.
Administrative Directors: Higher mini-mum
education requirements are set
for Administrative Directors. In 1997,
76% of Administrative Directors were
required by their employers to have at
least some college or a college degree,
with that percentage dropping to 63%
in 2007.
•
•
•
•
Executive Summary
Chart 5.
0 50 100
Teachers
39%
36%
2004
1997
2007
2001
36%
27%
0 50 100
Assistant Teachers
5%
7%
2004
1997
2007
2001
14%
12%
0 50 100
Teacher Directors
67%
63%
2004
1997
2007
2001
62%
55%
0 50 100
Administrative Directors
76%
68%
2004
1997
2007
2001
75%
63%
Percentage of Employers That Require “ Some College”
or “ College Degree” for Positions Listed Below
A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce
Executive Summary
Key Indicators Then and Now
Key performance indicators for 1997 and 2007 are summarized below.
Median Wage for Teachers
( adjusted for inflation)
1997 $ 5.75
2007 $ 7.49
Full Time ECE Teachers With
Employer Paid Health Insurance
( includes fully and partially paid by employer)
1997 67%
2007 71%
ECE Teachers on the Job
for One Year or Less
1997 25%
2007 26%
ECE Teachers on the Job
for Five Years or More
1997 30%
2007 33%
Employers Who Require That
Teachers Have Some College
or a College Degree
1997 39%
2007 27%
xi A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce
Conclusion
A decade of data gathered about the early
care and education workforce in Arizona
reflects that, for the majority of ECE work-ers,
wages continue to be low and turnover
high— particularly for Assistant Teachers and
Teachers. Although wages have increased
somewhat since 1997, when adjusted for
inflation, Teachers are paid only $ 1.74 per
hour more than they were ten years ago.
Access to most benefits has improved
slightly, although tuition reimbursement
and payment for workshops and confer-ences
has decreased since 1997. Finally,
employers are reducing educational require-ments
even though recent neurobiology
researchers recommend higher educational
attainment for ECE staff, and especially for
teachers, to meet the developmental needs
of young children.
It is clear that providers who receive a sig-nificant
monetary investment from sources
in addition to parent- paid tuition and fees—
such as state public school funds, federal
funds, or private, faith- based or charitable
donations— can pay higher wages and
benefits for a more qualified, stable work-force.
Without such investments, Teachers’
wages, benefits, education levels, and
length of employment are dramatically
lower. A Decade of Data: The Compensation
and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and
Education Workforce finds that most teach-ers—
and therefore most children— are in
for- profit child care centers or other types
of nonprofit classrooms. That means most
Arizona children are in classrooms with
teachers who earn lower wages.
Arizona should pursue strategies to maxi-mize
new and existing resources to enhance
the education, training, compensation, and
stability of the ECE workforce to ensure that
high quality, early care and education ser-vices
are available to all of Arizona’s young
children.
Executive Summary
Head Start,
Public
Schools
For Profit,
Non- Profit,
Other
Median Wage Per Hour $ 14.00 $ 9.00
Employer Paid Health Insurance 97% 72%
Employer Paid Dental Insurance 80% 50%
Employer Paid Life Insurance 87% 37%
Retirement Benefits 97% 42%
Teachers With Bachelor’s Degrees 38% 20%
On the Job Two Years or Less 36% 46%
On the Job Five Years or More 49% 38%
2007 Wages, Benefits and Tenure of Teachers Working
in Head Start Programs and Public Schools Compared to
Teachers Working in Other Settings
Table 1.
A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce xii
Executive Summary
Recommendations
Access and Affordability
Protect current investments and increase child care
subsidy rates for reimbursing ECE services to children
with low- income working parents. Index rates to the
75th percentile of the current Market Rate Survey so
that early care and education programs will be better
able to attract and retain a more highly qualified work-force
and ECE professionals can be paid a worthy wage.
Provide financial resources and leadership to pilot alter-native
funding strategies for subsidized child care in
order to strengthen investments in the ECE workforce.
Early Care and Education Workforce
Develop methods, including scholarships and wage
supplements that encourage early care and education
professionals to obtain specialized training and educa-tion
beyond a high school diploma.
Employ proven strategies such as internships, career
counseling and higher wages that attract additional,
educated professionals into the early care and educa-tion
field.
Raise the required minimum level of education and
training of early childhood practitioners through
Department of Health Services, Office of Child Care
Licensure regulations.
Establish a data system for ongoing tracking of the
compensation and credentialing of the early care and
education workforce.
Provide access to lower- cost health insurance for early
care and education employers.
Quality Improvements
Support the quality improvement and rating system
being developed by First Things First.
•
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•
•
•
•
•
•
xiii A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce
Acknowledgements................................................................................................... iii
Executive Summary................................................................................................... iv
Introduction............................................................................................................. 1
Wages....................................................................................................................... 5
Benefits.................................................................................................................... 10
Length of Employment.............................................................................................. 13
Education Level......................................................................................................... 15
Conclusion and Recommendations............................................................................ 19
Endnotes................................................................................................................. 22
Appendices
Appendix A - Methodology........................................................................................ 23
Appendix B - 2007 Survey Questions.......................................................................... 24
Appendix C - Survey Responses.................................................................................. 27
Median Hourly Salary...................................................................................................................... 27
Average Wages by Specific Type of Employer....................................................................................................... 28
Average Wages in Head Start and Public Schools Compared to Other Employers............................................... 29
Lowest Starting Salary......................................................................................................................... ................ 30
Highest Salary......................................................................................................................... ............................. 31
Average Length of Employment..................................................................................................................... ..... 32
Average Length of Employment in Head Start and Public School Compared to Other Employers....................... 33
Minimum Level of Education Required................................................................................................................ 34
Hourly Wages By Minimum Required Education.................................................................................................. 35
Level of Education Attained....................................................................................................................... .......... 36
Educational Attainment by Specific Type of Employer......................................................................................... 37
Benefits Available to Full Time Employees........................................................................................................... 38
Leave and Insurance for Full Time Employees...................................................................................................... 39
Benefits Available to Part Time Employees.......................................................................................................... 40
Leave and Insurance for Part Time Employees..................................................................................................... 41
Selected Benefits for Full Time Employees in Head Start and Public Schools Compared to Other Employers..... 42
Table of Contents
A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce
Introduction
The Arizona early care and education
( ECE) workforce is critical to the eco-nomic
well- being of this state as well as the
future of its children. Early care and educ-tion
is the necessary ingredient to support
parents of young children while they go to
work. And quality early care— care that has
the most developmental benefits to young
children— is dependent upon a stable,
qualified and adequately compensated
workforce.
Between 2000 and 2006, Arizona’s popula-tion
grew by an astounding 20.2%. During
that same period, there was remarkable
growth in the number of children birth
through age five in Arizona, which increased
by 25% to 576,938.9 In 2006, an estimated
321,000 of these children spent a portion of
their day in the care of a non- parent relative
or in a more formal child care setting. 10
The ECE profession is responding to this pop-ulation
growth. The State projects that the
number of child care workers and preschool
teachers will increase by 32.2% and 41.1%,
respectively, between 2005 and 2015. In
fact, preschool teachers are projected to be
among the top 26 high growth occupations
statewide during that time frame. 11 Despite
the clear demand for ECE programs, low-wages,
high turnover and low levels of staff
education continue to plague the child care
profession. Serious attention to the ECE
workforce is called for in order to recruit
and retain high caliber staff with the skills
and education needed to prepare Arizona’s
young children for the future.
In 2007, the Governor’s Office for Children,
Youth and Families, Division for School
Readiness commissioned this study to pro-vide
a clear description of the compensation
and education level of the ECE workforce,
and to identify areas where improvement is
needed.
A Decade of Data: The Compensation and
Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Edu-cation
Workforce summarizes information
collected from surveys of licensed early care
and education employers ( excluding home-based
businesses) conducted in 1997, 2001,
2004, and 2007. The data establishes a
series of key performance indicators used
to monitor changes in working conditions in
the early care and education field over time.
This report provides information on wages,
employee benefits, length of employment
and education levels over the 10 year period
and concludes with recommendations to
improve quality by strengthening the ECE
workforce.
The term “ early care and education” or ECE,
is used throughout this report to reflect
the variety of services available to young
children birth through age eight and those
A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce
enrolled in licensed school age programs.
Data is drawn from the responses given
by Arizona’s ECE employers to the survey
questions. The 2007 findings represent the
experience of 2,293 ECE sites. A review of
the respondents shows that the composi-tion
of ECE professionals and children vary
significantly by setting.
Over half of all Teachers in the 2007 survey
work in for- profit settings, about one- fifth
work for non- profit or religious organiza-tions
and about one- fifth work in public
school or Head Start settings. Detailed
tables of survey responses can be found in
the appendices.
Arizona’s Unique Opportunity
In 2006, Proposition 203, a statewide ballot
initiative, passed with broad voter sup-port.
The initiative imposed an 80 cent tax
on tobacco products to fund First Things
First, a system to finance quality improve-ments
for early childhood development and
health. The tax revenue received will infuse
resources statewide to achieve the mission
of First Things First to increase the quality
of, and access to, the early childhood devel-opment
and health system that will work
to ensure a child entering school comes
healthy and ready to succeed. The six goals
of First Things First are to:
Improve the quality of early childhood
development and health programs.
Increase access to quality early
childhood development and health
programs.
Increase access to preventive health
care and health screenings for children
through age five.
Offer parent and family support and
education concerning early child devel-opment
and literacy.
Provide professional development and
training for early childhood develop-
•
•
•
•
•
ment and health providers.
Increase coordination of early childhood
development and health programs and
public information about the impor-tance
of early childhood development
and health.
With estimated revenues of over $ 150 mil-lion
annually, First Things First will make
funding decisions at the state and regional
levels that should have a profoundly positive
impact on the early childhood development
and health system for years to come.
The Importance of Compensation and
Education
There are many factors that influence posi-tive
outcomes for children in early care and
education settings. High quality care and
education increases the chances of learning
success for children. Factors such as small
group size, high staff- to- child ratios, and
competent, consistent caregivers are the
key components of quality early care and
education. 12
•
Introduction
Head Start
6% Other
Non- Profit
8%
Public/ Charter
School
15%
Faith
Based
13%
Small
For Profit
28%
Large
For Profit
30%
Chart 6.
Percentage of Teachers Surveyed
Who Work in Various Early Childhood
Education Settings
* Small for- profit employers are those with fewer than four separate sites;
large for- profits are those with four or more separate sites.
A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce
In fact, the most predictive factor of over-all
quality in ECE is the educational level,
experience and skill of teachers. 13 However,
attracting and retaining qualified staff is
challenging when compensation fails to
provide a living wage.
Several facets help to characterize the early
care and education workforce and provide
important insights into the ability to attract
and retain highly qualified staff. These
include wages, benefits, employee turn-over,
and education levels.
Wages
Nationally, wages for ECE staff, 97% of whom
are women, continue to be low compared
to the wages of other female workers. 14
On an individual level, poor compensation
contributes to the cycle of poverty for many
of these women. From a broader, systems
perspective, low wages attract low- skilled
employees, fail to retain higher qualified
staff, and continue a cycle of inadequacy in
the ECE field as a whole.
Alternatively, if Arizona determines that it
is critical and necessary to assure that each
child reaches her or his highest potential,
then adequate compensation is a necessary
component to attract and retain educated,
qualified staff.
Benefits
Another element of worker retention and
stability is the availability of employee ben-efits.
Benefits for early care and education
teachers improve the quality of care to chil-dren
by lessening the turnover rate in the
field. A study of Los Angeles area low- wage
workers found that the provision of health
insurance benefits increased stability and
decreased turnover. 15
Employee Turnover
Low wages, high job stress and lack of pres-tige
not only contribute to high rates of staff
turnover in ECE settings, but also discour-age
potential early education professionals
from entering the field at all. Child care
teachers who have education and training
levels comparable to that of public school
teachers earn less than half that of their
elementary teacher counterparts and they
tend to work more hours per day, more
annual hours and have fewer benefits. 16 As
a result, highly qualified ECE teachers often
leave the occupation to teach kindergarten
or elementary grades in public schools, par-ticularly
during difficult economic times.
High turnover rates have long- lasting
negative effects on children. Brain research
scientists and child development specialists
confirm that a child’s brain develops faster
between birth and age five than at any
other time in life. The quality and continuity
of caregiver and child relationships, includ-ing
out- of- home care, translate to secure
attachments which are related to optimal
social and cognitive growth. High turnover
rates among child care staff disrupt the con-tinuity
of care that children depend on and
can have detrimental effects on a child’s
development and adjustment. 17
The seminal National Child Care Staffing
Study found that high turnover rates meant
that children spent less time engaged
in social activities with peers and more
time aimlessly wandering. These children
subsequently scored lower on language
development assessments, which are
important predictors of future success in
school. 18 A Decade of Data: The Compensa-tion
and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care
and Education Workforce assesses average
length of employment as an indicator of
employee turnover rates.
Education
According to research, higher levels of edu-cation
for ECE professionals are positively
correlated with higher quality learning
experiences for children in their care. These
studies link formal education, especially
coursework in the early care and education
field, to improvements in a teacher's abil-ity
to assess a child’s needs and identify
appropriate activities to stimulate a child
Introduction
A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce
and encourage healthy development. The
research shows:
Teachers with a college degree are
better at individualizing teaching to suit
a child’s temperament, learning style,
home language, culture, and other
factors that can be critical to a child’s
learning. 19
Teachers with a bachelor’s college
degree specializing in early care and
education created a more positive emo-tional
climate, were more responsive to
children, had more stimulating interac-tions
with children and provided more
activities than teachers with no formal
training in early childhood. 20
Children whose teachers are more
highly trained and better compensated
•
•
•
Introduction
experience more developmentally
appropriate activities in their class-rooms,
appear happier, have closer and
more secure attachments to caregivers,
and perform better on standardized
cognitive and language assessments. 21
Wages, benefits and education levels are
critical factors to depicting and under-standing
the quality of ECE professionals in
Arizona. This information is useful for several
reasons. First, it enables us to better under-stand
the challenges faced by the state’s
early care and education system. Second,
ECE is a growing profession and these chal-lenges
will continue. Third, thousands of
children are in ECE settings outside of their
homes and this number will continue to
grow. The early care and education children
receive sets the course for how they will
perform in school and their adult life.
A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce
Wages
A Decade of Wage Data
This summary examines trends between
1997 and 2007, compares salaries of child
care workers to salaries in other professions,
and examines wages and trends for spe-cific
ECE job categories based on the 2007
survey. Wages earned by ECE employees
were examined from several perspectives
including average salary, starting salary, and
highest salary.
Arizona ECE wage and benefit information
was surveyed four times between 1997 and
2007, making it possible to examine how
wages have changed over a decade. The fol-lowing
wage increases have been adjusted
for inflation. 22
In the ten years since the first survey, Assis-tant
Teachers’ median hourly wages grew
by a mere $ 1.57 per hour, or roughly 16
cents per hour each year since 1997. Only
slightly higher was the increase in Teach-ers’
median hourly wage of $ 1.74 per hour
since 1997, or 17 cents per hour each year.
Teacher Directors saw the largest increase
in median hourly wages, at $ 3.17 per hour
over the decade, and Administrative Direc-tors’
median wages increased by $ 2.03 per
hour from 1997 to 2007.
This small, positive trend in wages was likely
caused by two main factors. First, minimum
wages were raised through two pieces of
legislation. A new federal minimum wage
went into effect in September 1997 ( after
the 1997 data was collected) increasing
the minimum from $ 4.75 to $ 5.15 per hour
and Arizona adopted a new state minimum
wage that increased the lowest wage from
$ 5.15 per hour to $ 6.75 beginning January
1, 2007. Because a substantial portion of
Assistant Teachers and a number of Teach-ers
earn at or near the minimum wage, it
i
Chart 7.
1997 - 2007
Key Performance Indicator
When adjusted for inflation, the ten
year increase in the median hourly
wage for Teachers was only $ 1.74.
A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce
is likely that this minimum wage increase
pushed overall wages higher.
Second, since the wage data was first col-lected
in 1997, the Arizona State Legislature
has increased the child care subsidy rate
five times, although rates are still substan-tially
below the current Market Rate Survey.
Today, child care subsidy rates are based on
the 2000 Market Rate Survey, the costs cen-ters
charged parents in 2000, plus 5%.
Low reimbursement rates contribute sig-nificantly
to low wages for early care and
education staff. Child care subsidies use
state and federal funds to reimburse ECE
employers ( excluding Head Start) for part of
the cost of caring for low- income children
of qualified working parents. The child care
subsidy offsets the amount that parents pay
and applies to large numbers of children
participating in ECE programs— an average
of nearly 45,000 children each month in
fiscal year 2006- 2007.23
When the child care subsidy amounts are
increased, employers have the capacity to
increase wages for their teaching staff. Sub-sidized
child care accounts for nearly 15% of
all children receiving services in child care
settings in Arizona. 24
Early Care and Education Compared to
Other Professions
The average annual wages earned by Arizo-na’s
ECE staff are lower than those earned
by many other professionals. According to
the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, child
care workers in Arizona earned an average
of $ 16,260 in 2006. This is lower than the
wages earned by coatroom attendants, hair
stylists, landscape workers and other pro-fessions.
In fact, the 2006 average annual
Wages
wages earned by a child care worker were
26% lower than the 2006 poverty level
wages for a family of four. 25
The annual wages for various types of work-ers
in Arizona are show in Table 2 above.
As illustrated, ECE Teachers who have a
college degree in early childhood educa-tion
can earn more than twice their annual
salary by moving out of the underpaid early
education system to teach kindergarten or
elementary education in public schools.
Average Annual Wages in Arizona, 2006
Kindergarten Teacher $ 36,160
Pest Control Worker $ 26,610
Slot Key Person $ 25,510
Hair Stylist $ 25,240
Mail Clerk $ 22,650
Landscaping Worker $ 20,710
Poverty Level, Family of Four $ 20,444
Coatroom Attendant $ 18,810
Child Care Worker $ 16,260
Crossing Guard $ 15,750
Dishwasher $ 15,100
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2006. State Occupa-tional,
Employment and Wage Data; U. S. Census, 2006
Poverty Threshold.
How Does Early Care
and Education Compare?
Table 2.
A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce
Wages
Arizona Early Education Wages – 2007
Survey Results
Chart 8 illustrates the starting, middle and
highest median wages across ECE staff
levels. Differences between the lowest
starting salary and highest median salaries
range from $ 2.00 for Assistant Teachers to
$ 4.31 for Administrative Directors.
Assistant Teachers
Assistant Teachers earn the lowest wages
of ECE employees with a median wage of
just $ 9.00 per hour. Their lowest median
starting salary is $ 8.00 per hour while the
highest median salary rises to $ 10.00 per
hour. There is a mere $ 2.00 per hour dif-ference
between the lowest starting salary
and the highest salary for Assistant Teach-ers
in Arizona.
There is variation in the wages among ECE
employers according to setting. Head Start
programs provide the highest salaries for
Assistant Teachers. The lowest salaries are
earned by Assistant Teachers in for- profit
centers.
Teachers
Early care and education Teachers earn
a median salary of $ 9.75 per hour with a
starting median salary of $ 8.25. The high-est
median salary is $ 12.00 per hour— for
a difference of $ 3.75 per hour between a
Teacher’s starting salary and highest salary.
Again, significant variation across types of
ECE employers exists, with Head Start paying
the highest salaries for Teachers— with a
median of $ 15.00 per hour— and small, for-profit
early care and education employers
paying the lowest salaries with a median of
$ 8.50 per hour.
Teacher Directors
Teacher Directors earn a median hourly
wage of $ 13.50 per hour with a starting
median salary of $ 11.90 per hour. The
Chart 8.
A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce
highest median salary is $ 14.50 per hour—
for a difference of $ 2.60 per hour between
a Teacher Director’s starting salary and
highest salary.
Variation across types of ECE employers
exists with Head Start providing the high-est
salaries for Teacher Directors— with a
median of $ 15.00 per hour— and for- profit
early education employers, both small and
large, paying the lowest salaries.
Administrative Directors
Administrative Directors earn a median
hourly wage of $ 16.82 with a starting
median salary of $ 13.69 per hour. The high-est
median salary is $ 18.00 per hour for a
difference of $ 4.31 per hour between an
Administrative Director’s starting salary and
highest salary.
Consistent with other staff levels, there
is variation across types of ECE employers
with public schools providing the highest
median salaries for Administrative Direc-tors
at $ 21.47 per hour. The lowest salaries
for Administrative Directors are paid by
large, for- profit employers with a median of
$ 14.00 per hour.
An interesting finding in the current 2007
data is that the median hourly salary for
Administrative Directors in public school
settings decreased from $ 25.00 in 2004 to
$ 21.47.
There are several factors related to the Early
Childhood Block Grant ( ECBG) that may
contribute to lowered salaries for Admin-istrative
Directors in public school settings.
The Early Childhood Block Grant is a type of
state funding intended to provide programs
to high risk children from birth through the
third grade in public schools. Early Child-hood
Block Grant funds are divided among
many schools statewide. Early Childhood
Block Grant funding has remained largely
stagnant over the years although there has
been an increase in the number of schools
receiving the funding.
Wages
Early Childhood Block Grant funding limits
administrative costs to 5%. In response,
some schools have eliminated Adminis-trative
Director positions and have hired
coordinators for programs instead in order
to decrease administrative costs.
Schools also have different types of ECE
programs. Some programs follow the public
school teacher salary schedules, which pay
higher wages, while others do not. Addi-tionally,
there is some turnover in the field
with teachers at higher salary levels either
retiring or changing employers.
Another factor may be that more charter
schools are offering ECE services. Charter
schools typically pay lower salaries than
public schools paying at district levels. The
result is a net decrease in the median wage
of Administrative Directors.
Paid Wages Differ Significantly Based
on Setting
There is significant variation in wages among
the different types of ECE employers. Head
Start and public school settings pay higher
wages than other employers. For example,
Assistant Teachers in Head Start or public
school settings earn about $ 2.25 more per
hour than their counterparts in other set-tings.
Administrative Directors in Head Start
or public school settings earn an average
of $ 5.75 more per hour than their counter-parts
in other settings. These higher wages
are possible because additional funding
sources such as federal funds or school dis-trict
funds replace or supplement payments
from parents.
It is important to note that the children in
Head Start and public schools do not rep-resent
the majority of children in licensed
early care and education centers. Most chil-dren
participate in for- profit and non- profit
settings that are not supported by outside
funds. It is also noteworthy that Head
Start and public school programs together
employ only 21% of all ECE Teachers in the
A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce
Wages
survey. Most teachers — like most children
in licensed centers— are in for- profit child
care centers or nonprofit classrooms that
do not benefit from additional funding rev-enues.
Consequently, most Arizona children
are in classrooms with Teachers earning
lower wages.
Paid Wages Differ Based on Level of
Education Required by Employer
The level of education employers require is
an important factor in compensation. In the
2007 survey, employers pay higher median
salaries when they require higher minimum
levels of education for each job category.
For example, for Teachers the median salary
paid by employers who require only a high
school education is $ 9.00 per hour. This
rises to $ 13.05 per hour for employers who
require some college and to $ 20.00 per hour
for those who require a college degree.
Chart 9. Chart 10.
Median Hourly Wages for Arizona Early Care and
Education Professionals in Different Settings, 2007
Wage Paid to Arizona ECE
Professionals by Education Level
Required by Employer, 2007
Assistant Teachers
High School
Diploma
Some
College
College
Degree
0 5 10 15 20 25
$ 9.00
$ 10.50
$ 12.00
Teacher
High School
Diploma
Some
College
College
Degree
0 5 10 15 20 25
$ 9.00
$ 13.05
$ 20.00
Teacher Directors
High School
Diploma
Some
College
College
Degree
0 5 10 15 20 25
$ 12.50
$ 13.40
$ 18.75
Administrative Directors
High School
Diploma
Some
College
College
Degree
0 5 10 15 20 25
$ 14.42
$ 16.00
$ 20.20
10 A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce
1997 - 2007
Key Performance Indicator
The percentage of full- time ECE
staff offered health insurance
either partially or fully paid by
employers rose from 67% in 1997
to 71% in 2007.
A Decade of Benefits Data
There are a host of benefits that employers
package together to provide support to their
workforce, attract new workers, and reduce
turnover of existing employees. Benefits
can be grouped into these basic categories:
health and dental insurance, life insurance,
retirement, vacation, maternity/ paternity
leave, and other benefits. The information
reported here includes specific types of
benefits available to full- time and part- time
early care and education staff.
Health, Dental and Life Insurance
Health and dental insurance are among the
most sought after employee benefits. The
percentage of ECE staff offered health and
dental insurance rose between 1997 and
2001 but has fallen since then. For example,
the percentage of full- time employees
offered health insurance with any portion
of the cost paid by the employer dropped
from 78% in 2001 to 70% in 2004 and has
remained largely stagnant through 2007.
Similar patterns exist for dental insurance.
The general availability of life insurance
benefits for ECE staff where the cost is
partially or fully paid for by employers has
been decreasing since 1997, when 67% of
full- time employees were offered life insur-ance.
In 2007, only 50% of ECE staff were
offered life insurance partially or fully paid
for by their employer. Another 10% of ECE
staff could purchase life insurance through
their employers’ plan by paying the entire
cost themselves.
Benefits
Chart 11.
10%
0%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
1997 Health Insurance
not available employees only employees and dependents
2007 Health Insurance 1997 Dental Insurance 2007 Dental Insurance
25%
45%
22%
24%
34%
37% 38%
29%
17%
30%
24%
34%
A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce 11
Benefits
Changes in Other Benefits
In 2007, fewer employees were offered
tuition reimbursement or paid workshop
registration fees compared to a decade
earlier. On the other hand, the availability
of retirement plans, maternity leave, and
reduced child care fees increased between
1997 and 2007. The percentage of full- time
employees with paid days off that could be
used for vacation leave rose from 89% in
2001 and 2004 to 93% in 2007.26
Benefits – 2007 Data
Health, Dental and Life Insurance
In Arizona, 75% of full- time ECE staff are
offered some type of health insurance and
69% are offered some type of dental insur-ance.
Twenty- three percent of part- time
employees are offered some type of health
insurance and 20% of are offered some type
of dental insurance.
Health and dental insurance policies can
vary dramatically, both in terms of the out-of-
pocket costs charged to employees and
in the range of services that are covered.
Thirty- seven percent of full- time employ-ees
are offered health insurance for both
themselves and their dependents with full
or partial costs paid by the employer, up
from 27% in 2004. Another 34% are offered
health coverage for themselves with full
or partial costs paid by the employer, but
no costs paid for coverage of dependents.
Four percent can access health insurance
through their employers’ plan by paying the
entire cost themselves.
The rates of coverage are lower for dental
insurance. In 2007, 34% of full- time employ-ees
were offered dental insurance for both
themselves and their dependents with full
or partial costs paid by the employer. This is
an increase in coverage from 27% in 2004.
Another 24% of ECE staff are offered dental
insurance for themselves with full or partial
costs paid by the employer, but no costs
paid for coverage of their dependents. In
2004, these percentages were 26% and 24%
Chart 12.
* Includes designated vacation leave and paid time off that can be used for
vacation. 1997 data was not comparable.
0 50 100
Paid Days For Vacation*
89%
2007 93%
2001
0 50 100
Reduced Child Care Fees
76%
2007 78%
1997
0 50 100
Unpaid Maternity Leave
69%
2007 85%
1997
0 50 100
Paid Maternity Leave
19%
2007 26%
1997
0 50 100
Paid Registration for Workshops
88%
2007 81%
1997
0 50 100
Tuition Reimbursement
58%
2007 56%
1997
0 50 100
Retirement Plan
47%
2007 57%
2001
Full- Time Early Care and Education Professionals
With Selected Benefits, 1997- 2007
12 A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce
Benefits
respectively, indicative of an expansion to
include dependents in coverage.
As with other categories of benefits, there
is variation between the value and scope
of health and dental insurance coverage
among the different types of ECE employ-ers.
Employees in public school settings are
most likely to be offered full or partially- paid
health and dental insurance for themselves.
Employees in large, for- profit early care
and education centers are most likely to be
offered full or partial payments for coverage
for both themselves and their dependents.
Employees working for small, for- profit
employers are the least likely to be offered
any health insurance at all.
Sixty percent of Arizona’s full- time early
care and education staff and 18% of part-time
employees are offered some form of
life insurance benefits. When life insurance
is analyzed across employer categories,
almost all ( 99%) of Head Start employees
are offered life insurance benefits. In com-parison,
only 21% of full- time staff working
for small, for- profit employers are offered
life insurance, up from 16% in 2004.
Retirement Plans
More than half ( 57%) of full- time ECE
employees have a retirement plan. Nearly
40% of part- time employees have this
benefit. There is substantial variation
in retirement coverage among types of
employers. All Head Start employees have
retirement plans whereas only 23% of
employees in small for- profit centers have
this benefit.
Vacation, Holidays and Sick Leave
Eighty- six percent of full- time ECE employ-ees
have paid holidays, and most ( 93%)
have paid days off that can be used for
vacation leave. These numbers represent
an increase in the portion of employers
offering paid time off. Staff working for
small, for- profit ECE employers are much
less likely to receive paid holidays ( 68%) or
paid days off for vacation ( 84%) than staff
working for other types of employers in the
early care and education field.
Maternity and Paternity Leave
Eighty- five percent of full- time employees
are offered unpaid maternity or paternity
leave, while only 26% have paid leave. Some
employers offer a combination of paid and
unpaid days for maternity and paternity
leave. Fourteen percent of ECE employers
offer neither paid nor unpaid maternity
leave. This benefit is much less prevalent for
part- time employees. Seventy - two percent
of part- time employess had unpaid mater-nity
or paternity leave and only 12% had
paid leave. 27
Full- time employees in Head Start and
public schools are the most likely to have
either paid or unpaid maternity or paternity
leave while full- time employees in small,
for- profit ECE centers are the least likely to
have this benefit. The Family Medical and
Leave Act of 1993 allows up to 12 weeks of
unpaid, job- protected maternity and pater-nity
leave ( among other types of leave).
Employers with 50 fewer or employees and
employees working less than 1,250 hours
per year are exempt from this benefit.
Continuing Education
Many employers encourage the continuing
education of their workforce by subsidizing
tuition costs for higher education or work-shop
registration fees. For example, 81%
of full- time employees can get reimbursed
for workshop registration fees and 56% can
get reimbursed for tuition. For part- time
employees, 80% can get reimbursed for
workshop registration fees and 42% can get
tuition reimbursement.
Access to Early Care and Education
for Staff
A special advantage of working for an ECE
employer can be assistance with the cost of
care for one’s own child. Over three- quarters
of both full- time and part- time employees
have access to this valuable benefit which
often facilitates staff recruitment.
A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce 13
Length of Employment
A Decade of Length of Employment Data
Length of employment is a major concern in
early care and education because employee
consistency is critical to outcomes for chil-dren.
The stability of the early care and
education workforce can be difficult to mea-sure
and interpret. In A Decade of Data: The
Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s
Early Care and Education Workforce, profes-sional
stability is examined by looking at the
length of time current staff members have
been on the job.
Over the decade of data collection between
1997 and 2007, variations regarding length
of employment in the ECE workforce stand
out. The highest rates of turnover were
found in 2001 when half of Teachers had
been in their job for two years or less. In
2004, that number decreased to 33%. The
most recent survey saw a rise in turnover
from 2004 with 45% of Teachers employed
for two years or less in 2007.
Increased turnover is also evident for
Assistant Teachers. Fifty- eight percent of
Assistant Teachers were on the job for two
years or less in 2007, up from 55% in 2004.
Data in 1997 was collected in different
time intervals but the turnover rate among
Teachers employed for one year or less was
25%.
Charts 13 and 14 provide information on
longevity. Longevity increases at each level
of employment with Teachers employed
longer than Assistant Teachers; Teacher
Directors employed longer than Teachers;
and Administrative Directors employed
longer than Teacher Directors. It is note-worthy
that since 2004, a slight decrease
in the percentage of staff employed four
years or more occurred at all levels. While
it is unclear what factors have contributed
to decreases in longevity for Teachers since
1997 - 2007
Key Performance Indicator
Between 1997 and 2007, turnover
rates among Teachers have fluctuated.
Since 2004, the proportion of Teach-ers
employed two years or less has
increased from 33% to 46%.
Chart 13.
14 A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce
the 2004 survey, we can speculate that low
wages, lack of opportunities for promotion,
movement of highly qualified teachers into
more lucrative public kindergarten and
elementary education positions, and retire-ments
have all played a part in increased
turnover among ECE staff.
Length of Employment - 2007 Data
Assistant Teachers
Fifty- eight percent of ECE Assistant Teachers
had been employed by their centers for two
years or less, while 25% had been employed
for four or more years. Large, for- profit early
care and education employers had the high-est
concentration of staff employed for the
shortest time. An alarming 84% of Assistant
Teachers working in large, for- profit early
care and education centers were on the job
two years or less.
Head Start programs, on the other hand, had
the highest concentration of staff members
who had been employed for the longest
period of time. Thirty- nine percent of Head
Start Assistant Teachers were employed for
four or more years.
Teachers
There were also high turnover rates among
Teachers. On average, 45% of Teachers had
been working for two years or less, with
large, for- profit centers experiencing a turn-over
rate of 59%. Again, the data show that
Head Start had the largest concentration of
Teachers ( 74%) with long- term employment
of four or more years.
Teacher Directors
There was substantial longevity among
Teacher Directors in all settings with 59%
having been employed for four or more
years. Large, for- profit employers had the
highest concentration of Teacher Direc-tors
who had been on the job the shortest
amount of time ( 43%). The majority of Head
Start Teacher Directors ( 88%) were on the
job for four or more years.
Administrative Directors
Administrative Directors also demonstrated
employment longevity across employment
settings. Nearly 7 out of 10 Administrative
Directors ( 67%) had been employed for four
or more years.
Length of Employment
Chart 14.
* 1997 survey data on length of employment is not comparable to later surveys.
one year or less two to three years four years or more
A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce 15
Education Level
1997 - 2007
Key Performance Indicator
In 1997, 39% of Teachers were required
by employers to complete some col-lege
or graduate from college. In 2007,
the percentage of Teachers required to
complete some college or have a col-lege
degree dropped to 27%.
A Decade of Education Level Data
The Arizona Department of Health Services
( DHS) sets the foundation for minimum
education levels required for early care and
education staff in licensed settings. Some
employers require education levels above
those set by DHS. The more education and
training an ECE professional has, the better
the outcomes for children.
A Decade of Data: The Compensation and
Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and
Education Workforce examines workforce
education levels in two ways: 1) the mini-mum
level of education required by the
employer; and 2) education levels of current
staff. The survey collected data about the
education credentials earned by employees
and their participation in formal post- sec-ondary
education.
The 2007 survey instrument departed from
previous surveys by gathering information
about the number of ECE staff with a Child
Development Associate Certificate ( CDA).
The CDA, awarded to ECE staff completing
a number of requirements including 120
hours of training, is recognized nationally
as a credential that enhances quality in
early care and education settings. This vari-able
was not measured on 1997, 2001 and
2004 surveys. As a result, information about
education levels attained by early care and
education staff is not comparable to data
collected in previous years. Only 2007
data regarding education levels attained is
included in this report.
State Minimum, Required Education
Levels for ECE Staff
Arizona child care regulations ( Administra-tive
Code R9- 5- 401) establish the minimum
levels of education needed to work in
licensed, early care and education centers.
Employers, as part of their state licensure,
must ensure that staff meet minimum edu-cational
requirements.
In Arizona, Assistant Teachers must have
completed or be enrolled in high school
or GED courses. Early care and education
Teachers must have high school diploma or
GED. Directors of early care and education
facilities must have a high school diploma or
GED and 3 credit hours of early childhood
education at an accredited college.
16 A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce
Education Required by Employers
Assistant Teacher
Over the decade since our first survey, there
has been a slight increase in the proportion
of employers who require Assistant Teach-ers
to have some college experience. In 1997
only 5% of ECE employers required that
Assistant Teachers have a college degree
or some college experience. In 2007, the
percentage of ECE employers requiring that
Assistant Teachers have a college degree or
some college experience increased to 12%.
Teachers
In 1997, 39% of early care and education
employers required Teachers to have some
college or be a college graduate, while in
2007 only 27% had similar educational
requirements. The biggest decline in this
requirement occurred between 2004 and
2007. A reduction in the educational require-ment
could reflect the degree of difficulty
ECE centers have in recruiting and retaining
teachers. The requirement for Teachers to
have some college experience or a college
degree shifted downwards across all set-tings
except Head Start programs.
Teacher Directors
The education level requirements have
also decreased for Teacher Directors. From
1997 to 2007, fewer Teacher Directors were
required to have some college education or
be a college graduate. In 1997, 67% of ECE
employers required Teacher Directors to
have some college or be a college graduate
compared with only 55% in 2007. Specifi-cally,
the requirement that Teacher Directors
have a Bachelor’s degree decreased from
28% in 1997 to 20% in 2007.
Administrative Directors
Between 1997 and 2007, the data dem-onstrate
a net trend for lower educational
requirements for Administrative Directors
at all educational levels. In 1997, 76% of
Administrative Directors were required by
their employers to have at least some col-
Chart 15.
Education Level
0 50 100
Teachers
39%
36%
2004
1997
2007
2001
36%
27%
0 50 100
Assistant Teachers
5%
7%
2004
1997
2007
2001
14%
12%
0 50 100
Teacher Directors
67%
63%
2004
1997
2007
2001
62%
55%
0 50 100
Administrative Directors
76%
68%
2004
1997
2007
2001
75%
63%
Percentage of Employers That Require “ Some College”
or “ College Degree” for Positions Listed Below
A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce 17
lege credits or a college degree, with that
percentage dropping to 63% in 2007.
Minimum Education Levels Required
by Employer – 2007 Data
Assistant Teachers
Seventy- two percent of Assistant Teachers
work for early care and education employ-ers
who require a high school diploma or
GED. Twelve percent of ECE employers,
primarily in two settings— Head Start and
public schools— required some college.
Teachers
Nearly three out of four Teachers ( 72%) are
only required to have a high school diploma
or GED. Twenty- seven percent of Teachers
are required by their employers to have
some college or to have a college degree.
There was somewhat greater variation
across types of employers for Teachers than
for Assistant Teachers. For example, 76% of
Head Start Teachers must have some col-lege
compared to only 4% of Teachers in
large, for- profit centers.
Teacher Directors
Forty- three percent of Teacher Directors are
only required to have a high school diploma
or GED. Thirty- five percent are required
to have at least some college and 20% are
required to be college graduates. Educa-tion
requirements for Teacher Directors are
lowest in large, for- profit employers.
Administrative Directors
Higher minimum education requirements
are set for Administrative Directors. Thirty
percent of Administrative Directors are
required by their employers to have some
Education Level
college and 33% are required to have a col-lege
degree; however, over half ( 54%) of
Administrative Directors working in large,
for- profit employers were not required to
have any education beyond a high school
diploma or GED.
Current Level of Education – 2007 Data
The 2007 survey collected data about the
level of education attained by the current
ECE workforce. At every level from Assis-tant
Teachers to Administrative Directors,
staff exceeded the minimum educational
requirements of DHS and their employers.
This category of data was expanded from
previous years to capture more in- depth
information about the education levels of
the ECE workforce. Completion of the Child
Development Associate Certificate or CDA
was also included. However, because the
data categories changed, it is not possible
to compare the data over time.
Assistant Teachers
Seventy- six percent of Assistant Teachers
lack a college degree or CDA. Assistant
Teachers in for- profit centers are more likely
to have no more than a high school educa-tion.
Assistant Teachers working for public
schools are more likely to have an Associ-ate’s
degree ( 19%) compared with Assistant
Teachers in all settings combined ( 8%). Only
5% of Assistant Teachers had a CDA.
Teachers
Nearly half ( 47%) of all Teachers are college
graduates: 15% have an Associate’s degree,
23% have a Bachelor’s degree and 9% have
a Master’s degree. Nine percent of Teach-ers
have a CDA. Teachers in public schools,
18 A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce
Head Start and non- profit settings were
more likely to have a college degree, yet,
nearly half of all Teachers ( 45%) have not
obtained a college degree or a CDA.
Teacher Directors
Teacher Directors tended to have higher
education levels. Sixty- four percent of
Teacher Directors have a college degree.
Among those with a degree, 20% have an
Associate’s Degree, 30% have a Bachelor’s
degree, and 14% have a Master’s degree.
Ten percent of Teacher Directors have a CDA
but not a college degree. Teacher Direc-tors
in Head Start and public schools were
more highly educated than their for- profit
counterparts.
Administrative Directors
Administrative Directors were the most
likely to have a college degree, with 71%
of staff achieving this level of education.
Nineteen percent have an Associate’s
degree, 31% have a Bachelor’s degree and
24% have a Master’s degree, yet only 33%
were required by their employers to have a
college degree. Seven percent of Adminis-trative
Directors have a CDA but no college
degree. Administrative Directors in public
schools, Head Start, and other/ nonprofit
settings were more highly educated.
Education Level
Chart 16.
0 50 100
Assistant Teachers
No Degree
No CDA
Associate
Degree
Bachelor
Degree
Master
Degree
CDA
0 50 100
Teachers
No Degree
No CDA
Associate
Degree
Bachelor
Degree
Master
Degree
CDA
0 50 100
Teacher Directors
No Degree
No CDA
Associate
Degree
Bachelor
Degree
Master
Degree
CDA
0 50 100
Administrative Directors
No Degree
No CDA
Associate
Degree
Bachelor
Degree
Master
Degree
CDA
1%
7%
8%
5%
76%
9%
23%
15%
9%
45%
14%
30%
20%
10%
27%
24%
31%
19%
7%
23%
Education Levels Attained by Arizona
Early Care and Education Employees, 2007
A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce 19
Conclusion and Recommendations
H igh quality early care and education sets
the foundation for life- long learning and
school success. Qualified early childhood
teachers are the cornerstones. Examining
wages, benefits, length of employment,
and the educational levels of the early care
and education workforce in Arizona over
the ten year period between 1997 and
2007 provides insight about the profession,
employee stability, and potential outcomes
of services for children. The data contained
in A Decade of Data: The Compensation and
Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Edu-cation
Workforce clearly indicates:
Wages
Wages, which are very low, have grown
little in recent years. Adjusted for inflation,
the median hourly wage for ECE teachers
increased by only $ 1.74— keeping wages
below poverty level for a family of four.
Benefits
Most early care and education profession-als
working full- time have access to some
benefits from their employer, including
health and dental insurance and paid days
off. Those working part- time have few
benefits. Access to key benefits for full-time
employees has remained the same or
improved slightly, although tuition reim-bursement
and paid workshop registration
have declined over the past decade.
Length of Employment
Too many early care and education profes-sionals
have been on the job for two years
or less. High staff turnover rates disrupt staff
and child relationships which can have a
negative impact on a child’s development.
Education
Assistant Teachers, Teachers, Teacher Direc-tors
and Administrative Directors exceed
educational requirements contained in
Arizona’s child care regulations. However,
many Assistant Teachers and Teachers—
early care and education staff who have the
most direct contact with children— continue
to have low educational attainment.
Recommendations
These findings serve to illuminate the state
of the profession and provide guideposts
for action. The following recommendations,
if adopted, would strengthen the ECE work-force,
and result in improved outcomes for
Arizona’s children.
Access and Affordability
Protect current child care investments
and eligibility levels so that no waiting
list is created and families receiving
child care do not lose services.
Increase child care subsidy rates for reim-bursing
early care and education services
to children of low- income parents
and index subsidy rates to the 75th
percentile of the most current Market
Rate Survey so that early care and edu-cation
programs will be better able to
attract and retain a more highly quali-fied
workforce and ECE professionals
can be paid a worthy wage.
The data in Arizona and around the nation
is clear that the vast majority of working
parents cannot afford to pay the full cost
of quality early education. Early education
employers who receive significant funding
from sources that augment parent tuition
and fees, such as public schools, federal
funding, or private, faith- based or philan-thropic
funds, can pay higher wages and
benefits for a more qualified, stable work-force.
Without such investments, teachers’
wages, education levels, and length of
employment are dramatically lower and the
education of young children suffers.
One source of additional funding is child
care subsidies for qualified low- income
working parents. These subsidies, paid with
a combination of federal and state funds,
have supplemented parent payments in
Arizona for the last 46 years. But the sub-sidy
rate today is still based on the market
rate charged by early education businesses
•
•
20 A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce
Conclusion and Recommendations
in 2000. Although the Arizona State Legis-lature
added 5% to the 75th percentile of
the 2000 level in 2007, subsidy rates remain
well below current market rates. This low
reimbursement rate depresses the wages
and benefits paid by many early education
employers and prohibits them from hiring
and retaining teachers with more education
and training.
Provide financial resources and lead-ership
to pilot alternative funding
strategies for subsidized child care in
order to strengthen investments in the
ECE workforce.
Child care subsidies provided through the
Department of Economic Security ( DES)
are currently allocated through vouchers
for individual children based on the work
hours of their parents. Fluctuations in work
schedules can result in irregular attendance
at early care and education programs.
Erratic classroom attendance is not in the
best interests of young children whose
developmental well- being depends on
continuity of care and consistency. Irregu-lar
attendance also has a programmatic
and financial impact on providers who are
unable to adequately plan curriculum and
staffing patterns in the face of uncertain
attendance. Alternative funding strategies
should be piloted to measure the impact on
providers, staff and children. Two examples
of alternative funding are:
1) Center- Based Contracting: Center- based
contracting means that DES would contract
with providers for a certain number of
child care slots. Rather than funding fol-lowing
individual children, funding would
go directly to programs resulting in more
stable funding. With reliable funding, pro-viders
could improve wages and benefits
which would increase staff retention while
assuring that children receive continuity of
care and improved learning opportunities.
2) Extended Eligibility: Sustained eligibility
would allow families who qualify for DES
•
subsidies to receive services for 12 months
rather than the current six months and
without respect to changes in a family’s
situation. Temporary fluctuations in work
hours or changes in income due to overtime
should not impact the continuity of care for
children. When parents lose their subsidy
they may also lose their child care arrange-ments.
Parents may not be able to place the
child in the same classroom or facility caus-ing
unnecessary disruptions to a child’s daily
routine and potentially his or her develop-ment.
Extended eligibility would support
working families with fewer interruptions
in service, again helping to stabilize both
the workforce and the learning experience
of young children by providing consistent,
continuous early care and education.
Early Care and Education Workforce
Develop methods, including scholar-ships
and wage supplements that
encourage ECE professionals to obtain
specialized training and education
beyond a high school diploma.
Barriers exist for ECE staff to obtain higher
education. One barrier is low pay. Arizona
should develop a plan to phase- in a state-wide
wage incentive program that provides
early childhood teachers with wage supple-ments
or bonuses when they obtain higher
levels of education. Systems of support
can overcome additional barriers to higher
education. These may include scholarship
programs that provide financial assistance
for tuition, books, materials, and transpor-tation;
individual counseling and assistance
in navigating the higher education system;
and flexible class schedules. Model pro-grams
include:
1) T. E. A. C. H.: First Things First recently
approved funding for a Teacher Education
and Compensation Helps ( T. E. A. C. H.) Early
Childhood ® Project. T. E. A. C. H. provides
scholarships to the ECE workforce to com-plete
college course work in early childhood
education and includes bonuses to those
•
A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce 21
reaching educational milestones as a way to
increase their compensation, and;
2) WAGE$: The Child Care WAGE$ ® Project
provides education- based salary supple-ments
to low paid teachers, directors and
family child care providers working with
children between the ages of 0- 5. The
project is designed to provide preschool
children more stable relationships with
better educated teachers by rewarding
teacher education and continuity of care.
In addition, training and education programs
should allow for maximum articulation and
transfer of college credits, creating edu-cational
ladders from selected workshops
to community colleges that continue on
through university settings.
Employ proven strategies that bring
additional, educated professionals into
the ECE field.
Wages must be improved to attract poten-tial
employees to ECE. In addition, Arizona
should do more to encourage young people
to choose the field of early care and educa-tion
as a career. This could be accomplished
through exposing greater numbers of high
school students to opportunities in the field
through career and technical education pro-grams
and college students though career
counseling, seminars, leadership develop-ment
and internships.
Raise the required minimum level
of education and training of early
childhood practitioners through the
Department of Health Services, Office
of Child Care Licensure regulations.
Arizona should adopt licensing standards
that require higher levels of education for
ECE staff and more pre- service and/ or in-service
training.
Establish a data system for ongoing
tracking of the compensation and cre-dentialing
of the ECE workforce.
•
•
•
Comprehensive data on the ECE work-force
in Arizona will provide opportunities
for trend analyses and research. Periodic
reports and assessments will inform the
public and policy makers on strengths and
needed improvements and inform decision
making and system building. The impact
of improvements on recruitment and
retention should be identified in particular
because they foretell improvements in child
outcomes. Data can be used to provide
feedback on where future investments
should be targeted. The S* CCEEDS registry
currently tracks education and training for
participating professionals.
Provide access to lower- cost health
insurance for early care and education
employers.
Health insurance is an important benefit
for employee recruitment and retention.
Arizona should help more ECE employers
provide employees with affordable, mean-ingful
health insurance through existing
public or private coverage.
Quality Improvements
Support a quality improvement and
rating system.
Arizona leaders and community organiza-tions
should support First Things First in the
development and implementation of a vol-untary
quality improvement rating system.
The rating system will provide financial
incentives to employers who attain higher
levels of teacher education and training
among their staff and who achieve other
measures of quality such as effective group
sizes and staff to child ratios. Technical assis-tance
and resources will be made available
to ECE employers to help raise the quality of
their programs and reward them for reach-ing
important milestones.
•
•
Conclusion and Recommendations
22 A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce
1. U. S. Census Bureau. Population Estimates. American Com-munity
Survey, 2006. Available at: http:// www. census. gov.
2. Arizona Community Foundation. ( 2008). Building our Foun-dation:
Assessing Early Care and Education in Arizona.
3. U. S. Department of Human Services, Administration for
Children and Families. National Child Care Information and
Technical Assistance Center. Available at: http:// www. nccic.
org/ poptopics/ brain. html
4. Heckman, J. ( 2006). “ The Technology and Neuroscience of
Skill Formation.” PowerPoint presentation for the Invest in Kids
Working Group. Available at: http:// www. partnershipforsuc-cess.
org/ docs/ ivk/ iikmeeting_ slides200607heckman. pdf
5. Bruner, C., Elias, V., Stein, D. & Schaefer, S. ( 2004). “ Early
Learning Left Out: An Examination of Public Investments in
Education and Development by Child Age.” Voices for America’s
Children and Child & Family Policy Center. Available at: http://
www. aecf. org/ upload/ publicationfiles/ ec3655k756. pdf.
6. National Scientific Council, Center on the Developing Child
at Harvard University. ( 2007). “ The Science of Early Childhood
Development: Closing the Gap Between What We Know and
What We do.” Available at: http:// www. developingchild. net.
7. Bruner, C., Elias, V., Stein, D. & Schaefer, S. ( 2004). See end-note
5.
8. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Inflation Calculator. Available at:
http:// data. bls. gov/ cgi- bin/ cpicalc. pl
9. U. S. Census Bureau. Population Estimates. American Com-munity
Survey, 2006. Available at http:// www. census. gov.
10. Arizona Community Foundation. ( 2008). Building our Foun-dation:
Assessing Early Care and Education in Arizona.
11 Arizona Workforce Informer. ( 2007). Top 100 High Growth
Occupations in Arizona 2005- 2015. Available at: http:// www.
workforce. az. gov/ admin/ uploadedPublications/ 2313_ High-
GroOccs05- 15. pdf.
12. Fiene, R. ( 2002). 13 Indicators of Quality Child Care:
Research Update. Available at: http:// aspe. hhs. gov/ hsp/ ccqual-ity-
ind02/# Staff2.
13. Ibid.
14. Blau, D. ( 2001). The Child Care Problem. New York: Russell
Sage Foundation.
15. Los Angeles Area Personal Assistance Services Council.
( December 2004) “ Impact of Health Benefits on Retention of
Homecare Workers: A Two- Years Study of the IHSS Health Ben-efits
Program in Los Angeles County.” Available at http:// www.
directcareclearinghouse. org/ download/ impact_ of_ health_
benefits_ on_ retention. pdf
16. Whitebook, M. & Sakai, L. ( 2004). “ By a Thread: How Child
Care Centers Hold On to Teachers, How Teachers Build Lasting
Careers.” W. E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research: Kal-amazoo,
Michigan.
17. Hale- Jinks, C. ( 2006). “ Tackling Teacher Turnover in Child
Care: Understanding Causes and Consequences, Identifying
Solutions.” Available at: http:// findarticles. com/ p/ articles/
mi_ qa3614/ is_ 200607/ ai_ n17174724/ print.
18. Whitebrook, M., Phillips, D. and Howes, C. ( 1989). “ Who
Cares? Child Care Teachers and Quality of Care in America.”
National Child Care Staffing Study.
19. Barnett, S. ( 2004). “ Better Teachers, Better Preschools: Stu-dent
Achievement Linked to Teacher Qualifications.,” NIEER
Policy Brief. Available at: http:// nieer. org/ resources/ policy-briefs/
2. pdf
20. Pianta, R., & Howes, C. ( 2005). “ Features of Pre- Kinder-garten
Programs, Classrooms, and Teachers: Do They Predict
Observed Quality and Child- Teacher Interactions.” Applied
Developmental Science, Vol. 9. ( 3), 144- 159.
21. Vandell, D. L. & Wolfe, B. ( 2002). “ Child Care Quality: Does
it Matter and Does it Need to be Improved.” Madison, WI: Insti-tute
for T\ Research on Poverty. Available at: http:// aspe. hhs.
gov/ hsp/ ccquality00/. Howes, C., Galinsky, E. Shinn, M., Gul-cur,
L., Clements, M., Sibley, A., Abbott- Shim, M.& McCarthy,
J. ( 1998). The Florida Child Care Quality Improvement Study:
1996 Report. New York: Families and Work Institute.
22. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Inflation Calculator. Available at:
http:// data. bls. gov/ cgi- bin/ cpicalc. pl
23. Arizona Department of Economic Security, Child Care
Administration. Monthly Expenditures Report, SFY 2006, SFY
2007 and SFY 2008.
24. Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University. ( 2007).
“ A Science Based Framework for Early Childhood Policy: Using
the Evidence to Improve outcomes in Learning, Behavior and
Health for Vulnerable Children.” Available at: http:// www.
developingchild. harvard. edu/ content/ downloads/ Policy_
Framework. pdf. Note: 67% of children in Arizona in 2006 was
321,000 and an average of nearly 45,000 children were in sub-sidized
child care in Arizona which equals 14%.
25. Note: “ Child care worker” includes those who “ Attend to
children at schools, businesses, private households, and child
care institutions and perform a variety of tasks, such as dress-ing,
feeding, bathing, and overseeing play. Excludes Preschool
Teachers and Teacher Assistants."
26. The data from 1997 is not comparable due to language
changes in the survey.
27. Available at: http:// www. dol. gov/ esa/ whd/ fmla/
Endnotes
A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce 23
Appendix A - Methodology
This study was commissioned in 2007 by the
Governor’s Office for Children, Youth and Fami-lies,
Division for School Readiness. The project
was guided by an Advisory Committee that
included the Governor’s Office, Arizona Depart-ment
of Economic Security, Arizona Department
of Education, Arizona Child Care Association,
Association for Supportive Child Care, the Ari-zona
Head Start Association, Children’s Action
Alliance, First Things First and the Head Start
State Collaboration Office.
The Maricopa County Office of Research and
Reporting was hired to conduct the survey of
licensed, center- based early care and educa-tion
employers. The objective was to provide
information on the wage levels, benefits,
length of employment, and education levels of
Arizona’s early care and education teachers and
administrators.
The goal was to collect these data from all early
education employers ( excluding home- based
businesses) that are licensed by the Arizona State
Department of Health Services. These employers
include child care centers, Head Start programs
and programs operated by public schools. The
number of licensed sites as of October 23, 2007
was 2,223. Data from child care centers was col-lected
from individual sites, and data from Head
Start programs and programs based at public
schools was collected from the administrative
offices which reported information for multiple
sites or classrooms.
Of the 2,223 original sites, 54 were no longer
providing care or had no paid employees. For
the remaining 2,169 sites, 1,491 center or pro-gram
administrators were identified and 1,358
individual interviews completed for a partici-pation
rate of 97%. These interviews provided
data for 2,293 sites. This number is greater than
the number of licensed sites for two reasons:
( 1) licensed public school sites sometimes have
multiple programs sharing the license; ( 2) sites
on tribal lands do not require a license from the
Arizona State Department of Health Services.
The Maricopa County Office of Research and
Reporting collected the data via telephone
interviews between November 11, 2007 and
February 14, 2008 using experienced and
well- trained staff. An introductory letter and a
copy of the questionnaire were mailed to cen-ters
or faxed to program administrators when
requested.
For purposes of the study the following defini-tions
were provided to the respondents:
Teachers - persons in charge of a group or class-room
of children, often with staff supervisory
responsibilities;
Assistant Teachers - persons working under the
supervision of a teacher;
Teacher Directors - persons with both teaching
and administrative duties;
Administrative Directors - persons with primar-ily
administrative duties;
Full- Time work - 30 hours a week or more; and
Part- Time work - fewer than 30 hours per week.
Of the respondents, 31.4% were from for- profit
employers with fewer than four sites; 9.0% were
from Arizona- based, for- profit employers with
four or more sites; 10.5% were from for- profit
national employers with four or more sites;
1.8% were from Head Start programs; 15.8%
were from public/ charter school programs;
19.4% were from religious non- profit organiza-tions;
1.5 % were from YMCA organizations; and
10.5% were from other nonprofit sites. Please
note that throughout the report, rounding
sometimes results in percentages not adding up
to 100%.
The unit of analysis for all of the data reported
is related to the specific type of employee and
the data have been weighted accordingly. For
example, data on the average salary for teach-ers
were collected from 1,271 ECE providers
employing 11,070 teachers. The numbers of
each type of employee reported by each pro-vider
were used as weighting factors in order
to be able to discuss medians for each type of
employee rather than for employment “ sites.”
This weighting is imperative given the great
diversity in the numbers of paid staff.
24 A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce
Appendix B - 2007 Survey Questions
Compensation and Credentials Survey Questions
Prepared and conducted by the Maricopa County Office of Research & Planning
Childcare centers rely on the skills and services of many employees, i. e. cooks, bus drivers, secretaries, and professional staff without
teaching responsibilities. In this survey, however, you will be asked only about teaching staff and administrative director( s) with execu-tive-
level responsibilities for your center.
Please use the following titles to describe your staff for the purposes of this survey:
TEACHERS - persons in charge of a group or classroom of children, often with staff supervisory responsibilities
ASSISTANT TEACHERS - persons working under the supervision of a teacher
TEACHER- DIRECTORS - persons with both teaching and administrative duties
ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTORS - persons with primarily administrative duties
TEACHERS ASSISTANT
TEACHERS
TEACHER
DIRECTORS
ADMIN.
DIRECTORS
1. Using these definitions;
A. How many TEACHERS are currently on your payroll?
B. How many ASSISTANT TEACHERS?
C. How many TEACHER DIRECTORS?
D. How many ADMINISTRATIVE DIRS. ( including you)?
So you have a total of (____) employees on your payroll?
NUMBER ON
PAYROLL
___________
NUMBER ON
PAYROLL
___________
NUMBER ON
PAYROLL
___________
NUMBER ON
PAYROLL
___________
2. How many of the ( ) work only part- time,
that is fewer than 30 hours a week?
NUMBER
PART- TIME
____________
NUMBER
PART- TIME
____________
NUMBER
PART- TIME
____________
NUMBER
PART- TIME
____________
3. So you have ( q1 – q2 =___) ( ) who work full- time? NUMBER
FULL- TIME
____________
NUMBER
FULL- TIME
____________
NUMBER
FULL- TIME
____________
NUMBER
FULL- TIME
____________
4. What is the minimum level of education required to be a
( ) at your center?
NONE
H. S. / G. E. D.
SOME COL AA
COLLEGE GRAD
NONE
H. S. / G. E. D.
SOME COL AA
COLLEGE GRAD
NONE
H. S. / G. E. D.
SOME COL AA
COLLEGE GRAD
NONE
H. S. / G. E. D.
SOME COL AA
COLLEGE GRAD
5a. How many of the ( ) have a master’s degree
or higher from a college or university?
NUMBER WITH
MASTERS
________
NUMBER WITH
MASTERS
________
NUMBER WITH
MASTERS
________
NUMBER WITH
MASTERS
________
5b. How many other ( ) have a bachelor’s degree? NUMBER WITH
BACHELORS
________
NUMBER WITH
BACHELORS
________
NUMBER WITH
BACHELORS
________
NUMBER WITH
BACHELORS
________
6a. And how many other ( ) have an AA degree? NUMBER WITH
A. A. DEGREE
________
NUMBER WITH
A. A. DEGREE
________
NUMBER WITH
A. A. DEGREE
________
NUMBER WITH
A. A. DEGREE
________
6b. So you have ( q1 – q5a – 5b – q6a = _____) ( )
who have less education than a college degree.
NUMBER WITH
NO DEGREE
____________
NUMBER WITH
NO DEGREE
____________
NUMBER WITH
NO DEGREE
____________
NUMBER WITH
NO DEGREE
____________
7. And how many of these ( ) ( ) who do not
have a college degree have Childhood Development
Accreditation ( C. D. A.)?
NUMBER WITH
C. D. A.
________
NUMBER WITH
C. D. A.
________
NUMBER WITH
C. D. A.
________
NUMBER WITH
C. D. A.
________
A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce 25
8. What is the average length of employment for ( )
at your center?
Would you say most ( ) work there 6 months or
less, from 7 to 11 months, about 1 year, about 2 years,
about 3 years, about 4 years, or 5 years or more?
6 MOS. OR LESS
7 – 11 MOS.
ONE YR
TWO YRS
THREE YEARS
FOUR YEARS
FIVE PLUS YRS
6 MOS. OR LESS
7 – 11 MOS.
ONE YR
TWO YRS
THREE YEARS
FOUR YEARS
FIVE PLUS YRS
6 MOS. OR LESS
7 – 11 MOS.
ONE YR
TWO YRS
THREE YEARS
FOUR YEARS
FIVE PLUS YRS
6 MOS. OR LESS
7 – 11 MOS.
ONE YR
TWO YRS
THREE YEARS
FOUR YEARS
FIVE PLUS YRS
9. What is the lowest starting salary for ( ) -- per hour? $________
Per Hour
$________
Per Hour
$________
Per Hour
$________
Per Hour
10. What hourly wage does your highest paid ( ) earn? $________
Per Hour
$________
Per Hour
$________
Per Hour
$________
Per Hour
11. What would you say the average hourly wage is
for ( )?
$________
Per Hour
$________
Per Hour
$________
Per Hour
$________
Per Hour
PART- TIME TEACHING /
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
FULL- TIME TEACHING /
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
12. INTERVIEWER: ENTER NUMBERS OF PART- TIME
AND FULL- TIME EMPLOYEES ( QUESTIONS 2 & 3)
NUMBER OF
___________
NUMBER OF
___________
13. The next questions are about benefits that some child
care centers offer their employees.
Do you have reduced child care fees for your
( PART- TIME / FULL- TIME) employees?
NO YES NO YES
14. Unpaid, job- protected maternity and/ or paternity leave? NO YES NO YES
15. Paid maternity and/ or paternity leave? NO YES NO YES
16. Retirement or pension plan? NO YES NO YES
17. Do you pay registration fees for workshops,
conferences, etc.?
NO YES NO YES
18. What about tuition reimbursement for education? NO YES NO YES
19. Do you offer Paid Time Off ( PTO) or paid personal days
that can be used as sick days and/ or vacation time?
NO YES NO YES
20a. Paid vacations ( not included in PTO)? NO YES NO YES
20b. Paid sick leave ( not included in PTO)? NO YES NO YES
21. Paid holidays? NO YES NO YES
22. Do you offer your ( PART- TIME / FULL- TIME)
employees Health Insurance benefits of any kind?
( What kind of benefits?)
NO HEALTH INSURANCE
FULL OR PART PAID FOR
EMPLOYEES & DEPENDENTS
FULL OR PART PAID FOR
EMPLOYEES, NOT DEPENDENTS
AVAILABLE, UNPAID
NO HEALTH INSURANCE
FULL OR PART PAID FOR
EMPLOYEES & DEPENDENTS
FULL OR PART PAID FOR
EMPLOYEES, NOT DEPENDENTS
AVAILABLE, UNPAID
Appendix B - 2007 Survey Questions
26 A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce
23. What about Dental Insurance?
( What kind of benefits?)
NO DENTAL INSURANCE
FULL OR PART PAID FOR
EMPLOYEES & DEPENDENTS
FULL OR PART PAID FOR
EMPLOYEES, NOT DEPENDENTS
AVAILABLE, UNPAID
NO DENTAL INSURANCE
FULL OR PART PAID FOR
EMPLOYEES & DEPENDENTS
FULL OR PART PAID FOR
EMPLOYEES, NOT DEPENDENTS
AVAILABLE, UNPAID
24. What about Life Insurance?
( What kind of benefits?)
NO LIFE INSURANCE
FULL OR PART PAID FOR
EMPLOYEES & DEPENDENTS
FULL OR PART PAID FOR
EMPLOYEES, NOT DEPENDENTS
AVAILABLE, UNPAID
NO LIFE INSURANCE
FULL OR PART PAID FOR
EMPLOYEES & DEPENDENTS
FULL OR PART PAID FOR
EMPLOYEES, NOT DEPENDENTS
AVAILABLE, UNPAID
25. We have just a few questions about your center to allow us to compare data with other centers with similar
characteristics. Is the center run by a non- profit organization such as a church or public school?
[ 0 ] NO, FOR PROFIT [ 1 ] YES, NON- PROFIT / PUBLIC SCHOOL ( skip to q 28)
Is the center part of a corporation, organization or business with 4 or more centers?
[ 0 ] NO ( skip to q 29) [ 1 ] YES
Does the corporation, organization or business have centers in states other than Arizona?
[ 0 ] NO ( skip to q 29) [ 1 ] YES ( skip to q 29)
28. Is the center funded by Head Start, the public school system, a charter school, a religious or faith based organization, a
corporate or business employer, a university or college, state or local government, a community based organization or is it
a parent cooperative?
[ 01 ] HEAD START [ 02 ] PUBLIC/ CHARTER SCHOOL INCLUDING TITLE ONE
[ 03 ] RELIGIOUS OR FAITH BASED ORGANIZATION [ 04 ] CORPORATE OR BUSINESS EMPLOYER
[ 05 ] UNIVERSITY OR COLLEGE [ 06 ] STATE OR LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENCY
[ 07 ] YMCA [ 08 ] OTHER COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATION
[ 09 ] COOPERATIVE [ 96 ] OTHER RESPONSE _____________________________
29. And does your center provide care ONLY for school aged children, ONLY for children too young to attend school, or do
you provide care for both age groups.
[ 1 ] ONLY SCHOOL AGED CHILDREN [ 2 ] NO SCHOOL AGED CHILDREN / ONLY YOUNGER CHILDREN
[ 3 ] SCHOOL AGED AND YOUNGER [ 6 ] OTHER RESPONSE ______________________________
30. What is the zip code of childcare facility ( or geographic area covered by your office)?
ZIP CODE __________________________ GEOGRAPHIC AREA COVERED ________________________________
Thank you very much for your time and cooperation with this study. Do you have any questions or any comments you would like to
make about the study?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
If you have any questions about this study you can call Charity Russell at the Arizona Governor’s Office for Children, Youth and
Families Division of School Readiness at ( 602) 542- 3199.
To reach the Maricopa County Office of Research & Reporting please call ( 602) 506- 1600 or toll free 1( 877) 499- 6100.
26.
1.
Appendix B - 2007 Survey Questions
A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce 27
Appendix C - Survey Responses
Median Hourly Salary
Assistant Teachers:
For Profit
< 4 Sites
For Profit
4+ Sites
Head
Start
Public
Schools
Other
Non- Profit
All Types
2007 Median $ 7.75 $ 8.00 $ 10.25 $ 10.00 $ 8.50 $ 9.00
# of Responses 325 212 23 160 355 1,075
# Assistant Teachers 1,528 1,119 730 2,088 2,041 7,506
2004 Median $ 7.00 $ 7.00 $ 9.07 $ 9.00 $ 8.00 $ 8.10
# of Responses 262 169 31 191 317 970
# Assistant Teachers 1141 941 908 1795 1864 6649
2001 Median $ 7.00 $ 6.75 $ 8.50 $ 7.75 $ 7.22 $ 7.22
# of Responses 280 72 38 168 262 820
# Assistant Teachers 1549 1006 748 1486 1779 6568
1997 Median $ 5.25 $ 5.25 $ 7.69 $ 6.75 $ 5.90 $ 5.75
# of Responses 227 123 39 46 288 723
# Assistant Teachers 1109 825 651 333 1687 4605
Teachers:
For Profit
< 4 Sites
For Profit
4+ Sites
Head
Start
Public
Schools
Other
Non- Profit
All Types
2007 Median $ 8.50 $ 9.00 $ 15.00 $ 13.50 $ 11.00 $ 9.75
# of Responses 409 261 24 183 394 1,271
# of Teachers 3,034 3,305 705 1,654 2,372 11,070
2004 Median $ 8.00 $ 8.00 $ 13.32 $ 14.36 $ 9.75 $ 9.00
# of Responses 339 219 32 193 377 1160
# of Teachers 2407 2586 969 1566 2316 9844
2001 Median $ 7.50 $ 7.50 $ 12.45 $ 10.50 $ 8.50 $ 8.00
# of Responses 365 85 42 161 326 979
# of Teachers 3166 2179 734 1115 2366 9560
1997 Median $ 6.00 $ 5.50 $ 9.80 $ 7.60 $ 7.00 $ 6.20
# of Responses 278 159 38 46 327 848
# of Teachers 1990 1590 601 267 2028 6476
Teacher Directors:
For Profit
< 4 Sites
For Profit
4+ Sites
Head
Start
Public
Schools
Other
Non- Profit
All Types
2007 Median $ 11.56 $ 11.50 $ 15.00 $ 14.31 $ 14.50 $ 13.50
# of Responses 245 137 11 87 227 707
# Teacher Directors 321 189 70 284 307 1,171
2004 Median $ 10.00 $ 10.20 $ 13.00 $ 11.25 $ 11.00 $ 10.92
# of Responses 181 125 13 88 192 599
# Teacher Directors 245 212 68 238 262 1025
2001 Median $ 9.00 $ 9.09 $ 14.00 $ 13.58 $ 10.00 $ 10.19
# of Responses 221 50 18 114 182 585
# Teacher Directors 347 133 137 296 364 1277
1997 Median $ 7.75 $ 6.75 $ 10.50 $ 10.83 $ 8.50 $ 8.00
# of Responses 171 75 3 43 196 488
# Teacher Directors 246 105 3 100 256 710
Administrative Directors:
For Profit
< 4 Sites
For Profit
4+ Sites
Head
Start
Public
Schools
Other
Non- Profit
All Types
2007 Median $ 14.50 $ 14.00 $ 20.00 $ 21.47 $ 16.75 $ 16.82
# of Responses 225 198 24 121 246 814
# Admin. Directors 305 321 168 188 311 1,293
2004 Median $ 13.00 $ 14.30 $ 18.00 $ 25.00 $ 14.50 $ 15.00
# of Responses 200 175 29 147 276 827
# Admin. Directors 262 215 127 197 334 1135
2001 Median $ 12.00 $ 13.05 $ 16.68 $ 23.85 $ 12.93 $ 13.84
# of Responses 236 64 29 137 221 687
# Admin. Directors 352 186 96 198 329 1161
1997 Median $ 10.00 $ 10.75 $ 14.09 $ 15.00 $ 12.00 $ 11.45
# of Responses 168 125 36 23 238 590
# Admin. Directors 223 185 106 32 289 835
28 A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce
Appendix C - Survey Responses
Average Wages by Specific Type of Employer
For Profit <
4 Sites
For Profit
4+ Sites AZ
For Profit
4+ Sites US Head Start Schools Religious
Org. YMCA Other Non-
Profit All Types
Average
Hourly Wage
For Assistant
Teachers
Minimum $ 6.00 $ 6.00 $ 6.25 $ 7.50 $ 6.00 $ 6.00 $ 7.00 $ 6.75 $ 6.00
Median $ 7.75 $ 8.00 $ 8.00 $ 10.25 $ 10.00 $ 8.50 $ 7.50 $ 8.50 $ 9.00
Maximum $ 17.50 $ 18.00 $ 11.50 $ 15.27 $ 18.00 $ 25.00 $ 9.00 $ 19.00 $ 25.00
Mean $ 8.15 $ 8.45 $ 8.08 $ 10.36 $ 10.02 $ 9.01 $ 7.82 $ 8.77 $ 9.09
Mode $ 7.00 $ 8.00 $ 8.00 $ 11.00 $ 10.50 $ 8.00 $ 7.50 $ 9.00 $ 8.00
# of
Responses 325 103 109 23 160 221 17 117 1075
# Assistant
Teachers 1528 590 529 730 2088 1195 142 704 7506
Average
Hourly Wage
For Teachers
Minimum $ 5.85 $ 6.75 $ 7.00 $ 11.00 $ 6.00 $ 6.70 $ 7.30 $ 6.75 $ 5.85
Median $ 8.50 $ 9.00 $ 9.00 $ 15.00 $ 13.50 $ 11.50 $ 8.50 $ 10.75 $ 9.75
Maximum $ 33.30 $ 35.00 $ 18.00 $ 19.79 $ 36.60 $ 36.00 $ 12.00 $ 33.00 $ 36.60
Mean $ 9.37 $ 9.53 $ 9.38 $ 14.96 $ 15.27 $ 12.36 $ 8.97 $ 11.91 $ 11.19
Mode $ 8.00 $ 9.00 $ 9.00 $ 17.00 $ 9.00 $ 11.00 $ 8.00 $ 10.75 $ 9.00
# of
Responses 409 119 142 24 183 239 21 134 1271
# of Teachers 3034 1249 2056 705 1654 1455 149 768 11070
Average
Hourly Wage
For Teacher
Directors
Minimum $ 5.78 $ 6.75 $ 8.50 $ 14.15 $ 10.50 $ 6.25 $ 8.50 $ 7.50 $ 5.78
Median $ 11.56 $ 12.00 $ 11.03 $ 15.00 $ 14.31 $ 13.86 $ 11.00 $ 18.00 $ 13.50
Maximum $ 48.00 $ 32.00 $ 23.00 $ 25.48 $ 45.50 $ 42.50 $ 20.20 $ 43.25 $ 48.00
Mean $ 13.22 $ 14.09 $ 11.84 $ 15.99 $ 16.89 $ 15.28 $ 11.16 $ 18.87 $ 14.96
Mode $ 10.00 $ 12.00 $ 11.00 $ 15.00 $ 12.70 $ 12.50 $ 11.00 $ 24.00 $ 11.00
# of
Responses 245 63 74 11 87 139 13 75 707
# Teacher
Directors 321 83 106 70 284 154 40 113 1171
Average
Hourly Wage
For Admin.
Directors
Minimum $ 5.85 $ 6.95 $ 8.70 $ 15.86 $ 9.13 $ 5.75 $ 9.61 $ 7.00 $ 5.75
Median $ 14.50 $ 14.00 $ 14.42 $ 20.00 $ 21.47 $ 15.45 $ 15.00 $ 19.85 $ 16.82
Maximum $ 42.00 $ 30.32 $ 32.40 $ 36.53 $ 53.51 $ 44.90 $ 21.63 $ 43.00 $ 53.51
Mean $ 15.66 $ 14.82 $ 14.91 $ 21.02 $ 25.05 $ 16.66 $ 15.45 $ 20.98 $ 18.11
Mode 15 13 12 20 20 10 12 27 20
# of
Responses 225 83 115 24 121 149 16 81 814
# Admin.
Directors 305 133 188 168 188 182 21 108 1293
A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce 29
Appendix C - Survey Responses
Average Wages in Head Start and Public Schools Compared to Other Employers
HS & PS Other All Types
Average Hourly Wage For Assistant
Teachers
Minimum $ 6.00 $ 6.00 $ 6.00
Median $ 10.00 $ 8.00 $ 9.00
Maximum $ 18.00 $ 25.00 $ 25.00
Mean $ 10.11 $ 8.48 $ 9.09
Mode $ 10.50 $ 8.00 $ 8.00
# of Responses 183 892 1,075
# Assistant Teachers 2,818 4,688 7,506
Average Hourly Wage For Teachers Minimum $ 6.00 $ 5.85 $ 5.85
Median $ 14.00 $ 9.00 $ 9.75
Maximum $ 36.60 $ 36.00 $ 36.60
Mean $ 15.18 $ 10.11 $ 11.19
Mode $ 15.00 $ 9.00 $ 9.00
# of Responses 207 1,064 1,271
# of Teachers 2,359 8,711 11,070
Average Hourly Wage For Teacher
Directors
Minimum $ 10.50 $ 5.78 $ 5.78
Median $ 15.00 $ 12.50 $ 13.50
Maximum $ 45.50 $ 48.00 $ 48.00
Mean $ 16.71 $ 14.20 $ 14.96
Mode $ 15.00 $ 11.00 $ 11.00
# of Responses 98 609 707
# Teacher Directors 354 817 1,171
Average Hourly Wage For Admin.
Directors
Minimum $ 9.13 $ 5.75 $ 5.75
Median $ 20.00 $ 15.00 $ 16.82
Maximum $ 53.51 $ 44.90 $ 53.51
Mean $ 23.15 $ 16.19 $ 18.11
Mode $ 20.00 $ 15.00 $ 20.00
# of Responses 145 669 814
# Admin. Directors 356 937 1,293
30 A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce
Appendix C - Survey Responses
Lowest Starting Salary
Assistant Teachers:
For Profit < 4 Sites For Profit 4+ Sites Head Start Public Schools Other
Non- Profit All Types
2007 Median $ 7.00 $ 7.25 $ 9.22 $ 8.75 $ 7.50 $ 8.00
# of Responses 328 212 24 162 359 1,085
# Assistant Teachers 1,548 1,119 743 2,109 2,063 7,582
2004 Median $ 6.50 $ 6.50 $ 8.16 $ 8.00 $ 7.00 $ 7.25
# of Responses 263 168 31 193 315 970
# Assistant Teachers 1145 938 908 1835 1859 6685
2001 Median $ 6.00 $ 6.00 $ 8.21 $ 7.12 $ 6.50 $ 6.50
# of Responses 285 72 38 175 263 833
# Assistant Teachers 1611 1006 748 1552 1786 6703
1997 Median $ 5.00 $ 4.75 $ 6.76 $ 6.43 $ 5.25 $ 5.25
# of Responses 237 128 40 47 299 751
# Assistant Teachers 1147 858 663 351 1744 4763
Teachers:
For Profit < 4 Sites For Profit 4+ Sites Head Start Public Schools Other Non- Profit All Types
2007 Median $ 7.50 $ 8.00 $ 11.75 $ 11.71 $ 9.50 $ 8.25
# of Responses 412 262 25 187 399 1,285
# of Teachers 3,063 3,313 711 1,725 2,436 11,248
2004 Median $ 6.50 $ 7.00 $ 11.32 $ 12.42 $ 8.00 $ 7.50
# of Responses 339 218 32 197 374 1160
# of Teachers 2418 2579 969 1667 2309 9942
2001 Median $ 6.50 $ 6.25 $ 10.02 $ 10.00 $ 7.00 $ 7.00
# of Responses 368 86 42 172 327 995
# of Teachers 3330 2201 734 1223 2376 9864
1997 Median $ 5.00 $ 5.00 $ 8.90 $ 6.91 $ 6.25 $ 5.50
# of Responses 295 166 39 52 343 895
# of Teachers 2099 1716 646 288 2129 6878
Teacher Directors:
For Profit < 4 Sites For Profit 4+ Sites Head Start Public Schools Other Non- Profit All Types
2007 Median $ 10.00 $ 10.00 $ 16.38 $ 13.00 $ 12.19 $ 11.90
# of Responses 242 136 11 86 219 694
# Teacher Directors 318 189 70 293 298 1,168
2004 Median $ 9.00 $ 9.00 $ 12.00 $ 10.60 $ 10.00 $ 9.79
# of Responses 179 123 13 82 185 582
# Teacher Directors 243 210 68 231 254 1006
2001 Median $ 8.00 $ 8.11 $ 12.45 $ 12.00 $ 8.50 $ 9.05
# of Responses 224 52 18 121 179 594
# Teacher Directors 368 137 137 303 362 1307
1997 Median $ 6.75 $ 6.25 $ 7.27 $ 9.01 $ 7.50 $ 7.00
# of Responses 159 77 4 41 177 458
# Teacher Directors 231 113 4 99 235 682
Administrative Directors:
For Profi < 4 Sites For Profit 4+ Sites Head Start Public Schools Other Non- Profit All Types
2007 Median $ 12.00 $ 12.00 $ 15.92 $ 18.00 $ 14.40 $ 13.69
# of Responses 215 195 24 113 233 780
# Admin. Directors 293 322 168 179 297 1,259
2004 Median $ 11.50 $ 12.00 $ 15.00 $ 21.48 $ 12.50 $ 13.75
# of Responses 192 168 29 126 262 777
# Admin. Directors 252 208 127 174 320 1081
2001 Median $ 10.00 $ 11.49 $ 14.41 $ 17.88 $ 10.54 $ 11.50
# of Responses 250 67 29 142 221 709
# Admin. Directors 372 190 98 204 328 1192
1997 Median $ 8.00 $ 8.85 $ 11.42 $ 11.00 $ 10.41 $ 9.31
# of Responses 158 115 33 23 202 531
# Admin. Directors 213 171 103 32 257 776
A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce 31
Appendix C - Survey Responses
Highest Salary
Assistant Teachers:
For Profit < 4 Sites For Profi 4+ Sites Head Start Public Schools Other Non- Profit All Types
2007 Median $ 8.25 $ 8.50 $ 12.77 $ 12.00 $ 9.50 $ 10.00
# of Responses 328 212 23 162 359 1,084
# Assistant Teachers 1,548 1,119 730 2,109 2,063 7,569
2004 Median $ 8.00 $ 7.75 $ 10.95 $ 10.00 $ 9.00 $ 9.00
# of Responses 262 169 31 193 316 971
# Assistant Teachers 1142 941 908 1835 1860 6686
2001 Median $ 7.00 $ 7.50 $ 9.87 $ 8.76 $ 8.00 $ 8.00
# of Responses 282 72 38 172 263 827
# Assistant Teachers 1595 1006 748 1514 1781 6644
1997 Median $ 5.50 $ 5.30 $ 8.94 $ 7.50 $ 6.47 $ 6.20
# of Responses 236 126 39 46 297 744
# Assistant Teachers 1144 850 651 341 1721 4707
Teachers:
For Profit < 4 Sites For Profit 4+ Sites Head Start Public Schools Other Non- Profit All Types
2007 Median $ 10.00 $ 11.00 $ 18.33 $ 17.00 $ 13.39 $ 12.00
# of Responses 412 261 25 191 397 1,286
# of Teachers 3,060 3,305 711 1,730 2,407 11,213
2004 Median $ 9.50 $ 9.75 $ 15.44 $ 16.76 $ 11.50 $ 11.00
# of Responses 340 218 32 198 376 1164
# of Teachers 2427 2574 969 1669 2312 9951
2001 Median $ 8.75 $ 9.35 $ 15.00 $ 14.00 $ 10.00 $ 9.78
# of Responses 364 84 42 170 327 987
# of Teachers 3284 2168 734 1208 2382 9776
1997 Median $ 7.00 $ 6.75 $ 12.29 $ 8.34 $ 8.30 $ 7.25
# of Responses 296 165 40 51 340 892
# of Teachers 2098 1703 654 281 2092 6828
Teacher Directors:
For Profit < 4 Sites For Profit 4+ Sites Head Start Public Schools Other Non- Profit All Types
2007 Median $ 13.00 $ 12.60 $ 18.25 $ 15.76 $ 15.00 $ 14.50
# of Responses 246 138 11 88 227 710
# Teacher Directors 322 191 70 295 307 1,185
2004 Median $ 11.00 $ 11.00 $ 14.00 $ 13.32 $ 12.00 $ 12.00
# of Responses 181 125 13 87 192 598
# Teacher Directors 245 212 68 223 262 1010
2001 Median $ 10.00 $ 10.00 $ 14.62 $ 15.00 $ 10.98 $ 11.32
# of Responses 220 50 17 120 183 590
# Teacher Directors 363 133 136 302 366 1300
1997 Median $ 8.00 $ 7.15 $ 9.04 $ 10.75 $ 9.00 $ 8.75
# of Responses 173 79 4 44 199 499
# Teacher Directors 248 116 4 102 262 732
Administrative Directors:
For Profit < 4 Sites For Profit 4+ Sites Head Start Public Schools Other Non- Profit All Types
2007 Median $ 15.00 $ 16.00 $ 23.44 $ 28.93 $ 17.30 $ 18.00
# of Responses 225 200 24 121 246 816
# Admin. Directors 305 325 168 188 311 1,297
2004 Median $ 14.18 $ 14.36 $ 25.38 $ 25.56 $ 15.00 $ 16.02
# of Responses 200 175 29 146 276 826
# Admin. Directors 262 215 127 196 334 1134
2001 Median $ 12.60 $ 15.45 $ 18.63 $ 25.70 $ 16.88 $ 15.45
# of Responses 236 65 29 140 226 696
# Admin. Directors 353 187 96 200 334 1170
1997 Median $ 10.00 $ 11.69 $ 14.50 $ 14.23 $ 13.00 $ 12.50
# of Responses 172 128 37 23 246 606
# Admin. Directors 227 188 107 32 305 859
32 A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce
Appendix C - Survey Responses
Average Length of Employment
Assistant Teachers:
For Profit
< 4 Sites
For Profit
4+ Sites
Head
Start
Public
Schools
Other
Non- Profit
All Types
6 Months or Less 18% 16% 0% 0% 3% 7%
7 - 11 Months 10% 14% 0% 5% 4% 7%
One Year 26% 41% 22% 19% 23% 25%
Two Years 21% 13% 9% 20% 25% 19%
Three Years 11% 10% 29% 20% 11% 15%
Four Years 5% 2% 11% 15% 11% 9%
Five Years or More 8% 3% 28% 19% 21% 16%
Don’t Know/ Refused 2% 1% 0% 2% 2% 2%
# of Responses 329 212 24 163 359 1,087
# Assistant Teachers 1,549 1,119 743 2,111 2,063 7,585
Teachers:
For Profit
< 4 Sites
For Profit
4+ Sites
Head
Start
Public
Schools
Other
Non- Profit
All Types
6 Months or Less 6% 5% 0% 1% 2% 4%
7 - 11 Months 6% 6% 0% 7% 1% 5%
One Year 15% 25% 1% 18% 13% 17%
Two Years 20% 23% 12% 19% 14% 19%
Three Years 15% 16% 17% 14% 14% 15%
Four Years 10% 6% 18% 9% 5% 8%
Five Years or More 28% 19% 56% 31% 51% 33%
Don’t Know/ Refused 0% 0% 0% 1% 1% 0%
# of Responses 414 262 25 191 402 1,294
# Teachers 3,068 3,313 711 1,730 2,448 11,270
Teacher Directors:
For Profit
< 4 Sites
For Profit
4+ Sites
Head
Start
Public
Schools
Other
Non- Profit
All Types
6 Months or Less 6% 7% 0% 2% 4% 4%
7 - 11 Months 3% 3% 0% 1% 3% 2%
One Year 8% 14% 11% 4% 11% 9%
Two Years 13% 19% 0% 12% 8% 12%
Three Years 10% 9% 0% 18% 11% 11%
Four Years 8% 6% 1% 17% 12% 11%
Five Years or More 49% 42% 87% 44% 47% 48%
Don’t Know/ Refused 3% 1% 0% 2% 4% 3%
# of Responses 278 158 11 91 241 779
# Teacher Directors 355 213 70 299 322 1,259
Administrative Directors:
For Profit
< 4 Sites
For Profit
4+ Sites
Head
Start
Public
Schools
Other
Non- Profit
All Types
6 Months or Less 5% 4% 0% 2% 3% 3%
7 - 11 Months 2% 5% 0% 2% 2% 2%
One Year 6% 11% 1% 7% 10% 8%
Two Years 8% 12% 0% 18% 9% 9%
Three Years 5% 12% 9% 10% 7% 8%
Four Years 4% 9% 4% 7% 7% 6%
Five Years or More 68% 45% 86% 53% 61% 61%
Don’t Know/ Refused 2% 3% 0% 3% 2% 2%
# of Responses 276 221 25 129 265 916
# Admin. Directors 362 352 169 196 333 1,412
A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce 33
Appendix C - Survey Responses
Average Length of Employment in Head Start and Public Schools Compared to Other Employers
HS & PS Other All Types
Average Length Assistant Teacher One Year or Less 24% 47% 39%
Employment Two Years 17% 21% 19%
Three Years 22% 11% 15%
Four Years 14% 7% 9%
Five Years or More 21% 13% 16%
Don’t Know/ Refused 1% 2% 2%
# of Responses 187 900 1,087
# Assistant Teachers 2,854 4,731 7,585
Average Length Teacher One Year 19% 27% 26%
Employment Two Years 17% 19% 19%
Three Years 15% 15% 15%
Four Years 11% 7% 8%
Five Years or More 38% 31% 33%
Don’t Know/ Refused 1% 0% 0%
# of Responses 216 1,078 1,294
# Teachers 2,441 8,829 11,270
Average Length Teacher Director One Year 8% 19% 15%
Employment Two Years 9% 13% 12%
Three Years 15% 10% 11%
Four Years 14% 9% 11%
Five Years or More 52% 47% 48%
Don’t Know/ Refused 2% 3% 3%
# of Responses 102 677 779
# Teacher Directors 369 890 1,259
Average Length Administrative Director One Year 6% 16% 13%
Employment Two Years 10% 9% 9%
Three Years 9% 8% 8%
Four Years 5% 7% 6%
Five Years or More 68% 58% 61%
Don’t Know/ Refused 1% 2% 2%
# of Responses 154 762 916
# Admin. Directors 365 1,047 1,412
34 A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce
Appendix C - Survey Responses
Minimum Level of Education Required
Assistant Teachers:
For Profit
< 4 Sites
For Profit
4+ Sites
Head
Start
Public
Schools
Other
Non- Profit All Types
No Educational Requirement 17% 17% 0% 17% 15% 15%
High School or GED 78% 81% 78% 58% 75% 72%
Some College 5% 1% 22% 25% 7% 12%
College Grad 0% 0% 0% 0% 1% 0%
Don’t Know / Refused 0% 0% 0% 0% 2% 1%
# of Responses 329 212 24 163 359 1,087
# Assistant Teachers 1,549 1,119 743 2,111 2,063 7,585
Teachers:
For Profit
< 4 Sites
For Profit
4+ Sites
Head
Start
Public
Schools
Other
Non- Profit
All Types
No Educational Requirement 1% 0% 0% 6% 1% 1%
High School or GED 84% 94% 24% 48% 56% 72%
Some College 11% 4% 76% 14% 27% 17%
College Grad 4% 2% 0% 33% 14% 10%
Don’t Know / Refused 0% 0% 0% 0% 2% 0%
# of Responses 414 262 25 191 402 1,294
# Teachers 3,068 3,313 711 1,730 2,448 11,270
Teacher Directors:
For Profit
< 4 Sites
For Profit
4+ Sites
Head
Start
Public
Schools
Other
Non- Profit
All Types
No Educational Requirement 1% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
High School or GED 49% 58% 56% 38% 30% 43%
Some College 31% 33% 37% 36% 40% 35%
College Grad 18% 8% 7% 25% 30% 20%
Don’t Know / Refused 1% 0% 0% 0% 1% 1%
# of Responses 278 158 11 91 241 779
# Teacher Directors 355 213 70 299 322 1,259
Administrative Directors:
For Profit
< 4 Sites
For Profit
4+ Sites
Head
Start
Public
Schools
Other
Non- Profit
All Types
No Educational Requirement 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
High School or GED 41% 54% 22% 24% 28% 36%
Some College 31% 32% 47% 14% 26% 30%
College Grad 27% 14% 31% 62% 44% 33%
Don’t Know / Refused 1% 0% 0% 0% 2% 1%
# of Responses 276 221 25 129 266 917
# Admin. Directors 362 352 169 196 334 1,413
A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce 35
Appendix C - Survey Responses
Hourly Wages By Minimum Required Education
Minimum Level Education
All Types
None HS or
GED
Some
College
College
Grad
Don’t
Know /
Refused
Hourly Wage For
Assistant Teachers
Minimum $ 6.00 $ 6.00 $ 6.50 $ 6.42 $ 6.75 $ 6.00
Median $ 8.00 $ 9.00 $ 10.50 $ 12.00 $ 9.50 $ 9.00
Maximum $ 13.00 $ 25.00 $ 17.50 $ 19.00 $ 15.00 $ 25.00
Mean $ 8.25 $ 9.04 $ 10.35 $ 11.44 $ 10.52 $ 9.09
Mode $ 8.15 $ 8.00 $ 10.50 $ 6.42 $ 15.00 $ 8.00
# of Responses 179 782 103 6 5 1,075
# Assistant Teachers 1,127 5,404 927 20 28 7,506
Hourly Wage For
Teachers
Minimum $ 8.50 $ 6.00 $ 5.85 $ 8.30 $ 10.00 $ 5.85
Median $ 9.00 $ 9.00 $ 13.05 $ 20.00 $ 11.00 $ 9.75
Maximum $ 12.35 $ 36.00 $ 31.00 $ 36.60 $ 11.00 $ 36.60
Mean $ 9.49 $ 9.67 $ 13.42 $ 19.58 $ 10.72 $ 11.19
Mode $ 9.00 $ 9.00 $ 15.00 $ 20.00 $ 11.00 $ 9.00
# of Responses 7 864 225 173 2 1,271
# of Teachers 154 8,016 1,875 986 39 11,070
Hourly Wage For Teacher
Directors
Minimum $ 5.78 $ 5.78 $ 6.00 $ 7.00 $ 12.00 $ 5.78
Median $ 7.89 $ 12.50 $ 13.40 $ 18.75 $ 20.00 $ 13.50
Maximum $ 10.00 $ 27.00 $ 32.12 $ 48.00 $ 22.00 $ 48.00
Mean $ 7.89 $ 12.84 $ 14.30 $ 20.56 $ 18.08 $ 14.96
Mode $ 5.78 $ 15.00 $ 11.00 $ 38.45 $ 20.00 $ 11.00
# of Responses 2 295 215 189 6 707
# Teacher Directors 2 500 425 238 6 1,171
Hourly Wage For Admin.
Directors
Minimum 0 $ 5.75 $ 5.85 $ 6.75 $ 9.50 $ 5.75
Median 0 $ 14.42 $ 16.00 $ 20.20 $ 19.81 $ 16.82
Maximum 0 $ 53.51 $ 44.90 $ 44.90 $ 25.00 $ 53.51
Mean 0 $ 15.03 $ 16.81 $ 22.81 $ 18.10 $ 18.11
Mode 0 $ 20.00 $ 20.25 $ 19.26 $ 9.50 $ 20.00
# of Responses 0 283 219 309 3 814
# Admin. Directors 0 473 398 419 3 1,293
36 A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce
Appendix C - Survey Responses
Level of Education Attained
Assistant Teachers:
For Profit
< 4 Sites
For Profit
4+ Sites
Head
Start
Public
Schools
Other
Non- Profit
All Types
Masters Degree 2% 0% 0% 1% 1% 1%
Bachelors Degree 6% 2% 1% 8% 12% 7%
AA Degree 5% 3% 6% 19% 8% 8%
C. D. A. 5% 3% 21% 8% 4% 5%
No Degree / No C. D. A. 79% 90% 72% 64% 71% 76%
Teachers:
For Profit
< 4 Sites
For Profit
4+ Sites
Head
Start
Public
Schools
Other
Non- Profit
All Types
Masters Degree 6% 5% 1% 21% 8% 9%
Bachelors Degree 15% 13% 16% 40% 29% 23%
AA Degree 12% 11% 47% 14% 18% 15%
C. D. A. 10% 7% 30% 7% 9% 9%
No Degree / No C. D. A. 58% 64% 5% 20% 35% 45%
Teacher Directors:
For Profit
< 4 Sites
For Profit 4+
Sites
Head
Start
Public
Schools
Other
Non- Profit
All Types
Masters Degree 12% 6% 9% 24% 17% 14%
Bachelors Degree 23% 19% 39% 43% 39% 30%
AA Degree 21% 24% 36% 15% 19% 20%
C. D. A. 11% 10% 11% 8% 9% 10%
No Degree / No C. D. A. 32% 41% 4% 11% 18% 27%
Administrative Directors
For Profit
< 4 Sites
For Profit
4+ Sites
Head
Start
Public
Schools
Other
Non- Profit
All Types
Masters Degree 16% 9% 23% 59% 27% 24%
Bachelors Degree 28% 28% 42% 26% 38% 31%
AA Degree 19% 23% 26% 8% 20% 19%
C. D. A. 8% 7% 2% 2% 9% 7%
No Degree / No C. D. A. 28% 33% 7% 8% 20% 23%
A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce 37
Appendix C - Survey Responses
Educational Attainment by Specific Type of Employer
For Profit <
4 Sites
For Profit
4+ Sites AZ
For Profit
4+ Sites US
Head
Start Schools Religious
Org. YMCA Other Non-
Profit
All
Types
Assistant
Teachers
No Degree
79% 88% 91% 72% 64% 70% 80% 72% 76%
Assistant
Teachers
With CDA
5% 2% 3% 21% 8% 4% 3% 3% 5%
Teachers
With Masters
Degree
6% 7% 3% 1% 21% 7% 3% 10% 9%
Teachers
With Bachelors
Degree
15% 17% 10% 16% 40% 29% 13% 31% 23%
Teachers
With AA Degree 12% 10% 12% 47% 14% 21% 17% 15% 15%
Teachers
No Degree 58% 60% 67% 5% 20% 34% 63% 32% 45%
Teachers
With CDA 10% 6% 8% 30% 7% 8% 5% 12% 9%
Teacher
Directors
With Masters
Degree
12% 8% 4% 9% 24% 13% 29% 21% 14%
Teacher
Directors With
Bachelors
Degree
23% 17% 20% 39% 43% 37% 44% 42% 30%
Teacher
Directors
With AA Degree
21% 23% 24% 36% 15% 21% 59% 9% 20%
Teacher
Directors
No Degree
32% 42% 40% 4% 11% 18% 33% 17% 27%
Teacher
Directors
With CDA
11% 9% 11% 11% 8% 8% 23% 8% 10%
Admin.
Directors
With Masters
Degree
16% 11% 7% 23% 59% 27% 0% 32% 24%
Admin.
Directors
With Bachelors
Degree
28% 29% 28% 42% 26% 43% 25% 31% 31%
Admin.
Directors
With AA Degree
19% 18% 26% 26% 8% 23% 22% 13% 19%
Admin.
Directors
No Degree
28% 35% 32% 7% 8% 20% 21% 19% 23%
Admin.
Directors
With CDA
8% 6% 8% 2% 2% 10% 20% 6% 7%
38 A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce
Appendix C - Survey Responses
Benefits Available to Full Time Employees
Reduced Child Care Fees:
For Profit
< 4 Sites
For Profit 4+
Sites
Head
Start
Public
Schools
Other
Non- Profit
All Types
No 11% 2% 92% 34% 13% 22%
Yes 89% 98% 8% 65% 87% 78%
Don’t Know /
Refused 0% 0% 0% 1% 0% 0%
# of Responses 409 262 25 192 382 1,270
# Full Time Employees 3,716 3,935 1,690 2,084 2,766 14,191
Unpaid Maternity Leave:
For Profit
< 4 Sites
For Profit 4+
Sites
Head
Start
Public
Schools
Other
Non- Profit
All Types
No 18% 10% 0% 17% 22% 14%
Yes 82% 90% 100% 82% 77% 85%
Don’t Know /
Refused 1% 0% 0% 1% 1% 0%
# of Responses 409 262 25 192 382 1,270
# Full Time Emp
Arizona State Government Publications
