The Empire State Campaign for Child Care (ESCCC) is a coalition of parents, child care educators, and advocates fighting for a future where every family in New York has access to high-quality, universal child care—and every educator is paid a thriving wage.
Child care educators are the backbone of New York’s economy and a lifeline for families. Yet today, most are paid poverty-level wages—which are less than 96% of all other occupations in the state. As of May 2023, the average annual salary for a child care worker in New York was just $37,970 ($18.26/hour). Family child care educators are earning even less—an estimated $10.49/hour in 2021, often below the minimum wage. Nearly 40 percent of New York’s child care workforce rely on Medicaid. Looming federal budget cuts to Medicaid put many of these educators at risk of losing their health insurance, making their need for just compensation even more urgent.
Paying child care educators a just wage is also key to improving child care quality. Children benefit from consistent, high-quality interactions with well-prepared, well-supported educators. Low wages has also resulted in many child care programs operating at less than licensed capacity because they cannot hire and retain adequate staff. A March 2023 survey of child care providers found that among 1,600 respondents, 28,462 licensed or registered slots were left empty due to insufficient staffing because of low wages. (Total licensed capacity in NYS; 795,000).
To spotlight these realities, ESCCC has produced a video uplifting the voices and experiences of New York’s child care workforce. The video highlights the powerful impact these educators have on our children—and the injustice of not being able to feed their own, buy homes, or afford to live.
👉 Click here to watch the video.
This video is more than a story—it’s a call to action. It’s an invitation to join a growing movement fighting for equitable pay, dignity, and justice for those who care for our youngest learners.