Last week was the annual Evening in Annapolis for Child Care. 

I was honored to join child care providers from across the state, to say thank you to legislators for investing in child care but also to remind them how important child care is to our families, our economy, and our future.

Child care is what makes Maryland work. Yet, these dedicated professionals are the lowest paid cohort of educators in the country. Why is that? 

The cynic in me says it’s because early childhood educators are mostly women and predominantly women of color — two groups who are consistently paid less than men and especially white men. Without actions like Monday’s rally, that fact will never change. 

On my more hopeful days, I think that providers are earn so little because most people don’t know what they do or how hard they work. It’s not babysitting. Child care professionals receive specialized education to care for and educate very young children. They’re held to high standards via mandated training and regular inspections. They help children develop their social and emotional needs too. All this while maintaining a safe environment and, in the majority of cases, are small business owners.

The truth is, the reason providers are paid so little, is probably a combination of a little from Column A and a little from Column B. It’s also true that parents are maxed out and can’t pay more for care to help raise wages. 

Public investments like the one the Governor promised this year are a big part of the solution. Employers have a role to play too. The bottom line is that it needs to change because if not, we will all pay the price when children don’t get the strong start they need. 

Thank you to our cosponsors for making the Evening in Annapolis for Child Care happen:

Maryland State Child Care Association, the Maryland State Family Child Care Association, the Maryland Association for the Education of Young Children, the Maryland Head Start Association, SEIU Local 500, the United Way of Central Maryland with support from the Latino Child Care Association of Maryland.