Support the Child Care Workforce:
Raise Your Voice for Fair Compensation
Child care providers are the backbone of our communities—and yet, many still earn poverty-level wages. It’s time to change that. Together, we can raise public and legislative awareness and generate lasting support for equitable compensation.
This moment calls for urgency and hope. We know a better system is possible—one that honors the essential work of providers and ensures they’re compensated fairly for the care that makes all other work possible.
We invite you to use this toolkit to join the movement.
Not sure how to help? That's okay—we've got you.
Movements need all kinds of people. Whether you’re energized by organizing events or prefer to make change one conversation at a time, there’s a role for you. We know it can be hard to figure out how to show up in ways that feel aligned with your strengths, values, and capacity. That’s why we created this 45 second quiz—to help you find your unique advocacy style and take action to support the child care workforce in ways that feel right for you.
✨ Take the quiz to discover your advocacy role, and check out our suggested advocacy actions you can take that align with your role today. (P.S. you can take all the actions regardless of your role… we won’t tell anyone 😉)
👉 https://empirestatechildcare.org/take-action/take-the-quiz/
Found Your Role? It’s Time to Take Action. Be Part of the Movement.
Every movement needs a mix of voices, skills, and energy. Whether you’re a broadcaster, connector, facilitator, fighter, organizer, or storyteller, your contribution matters. Below, find personalized action steps to support fair compensation for the child care workforce.
📣 The Broadcaster
You make change by spreading knowledge and raising awareness.
- Share the PSA video with a message from this toolkit.
- Post the petition calling for the state to invest in the child care workforce.
- Use your social media platform, newsletter, or text chain to spark conversations.
🤝 The Connector
You make change by bringing people together and deepening relationships.
- Invite friends, family, or colleagues to join a local community conversation showing this video and use our discussion guide.
- If you host a community conversation, please send us approved photos or videos that could be shared on Instagram and TikTok!
- Reach out to your networks and encourage others to take the quiz and find their role.
- Connect local providers and parents with opportunities to raise their voices.
🗣️ The Facilitator
You make change by creating space for conversation and understanding.
- Host a local community conversation and guide a group discussion about the PSA.
- If you host a community conversation, please send us approved photos or videos that could be shared on Instagram and TikTok!
- Use our discussion guide to facilitate honest and empathetic conversations.
- Tip: Team up with Connectors to broaden your reach and Organizers to make it an event!
✊ The Fighter
You make change by speaking up and demanding justice.
- Sign the petition to support permanent funding for the workforce.
- Encourage your representatives to support fair compensation by contacting them.
- Share facts and urgent stats from this toolkit to make the case for action.
📅 The Organizer
You make change by energizing people and building momentum.
- Coordinate a community conversation event spotlighting this video to guide discussions with local providers and community leaders.
- If you host a community conversation, please send us approved photos or videos that could be shared on Instagram and TikTok!
- Help bring attention to local stories about the challenges providers face.
- Rally your community to collectively call for equitable compensation for the workforce.
📖 The Storyteller
You make change by sharing powerful personal stories.
- Write a letter to the editor sharing why child care matters to your family or community.
- Interview providers and caregivers, and share their stories (with permission) on social media or at events.
- Help people see the humanity behind the headlines.
🗣️ Messaging
When you share the video on social media, it helps us reach more people. Here are some sample posts to get you started.
Posts include links to the 60 second video. If you would like to embed the video instead when posting, both versions can be downloaded here.
Please tag the ESCCC when sharing the video on social media:
- Instagram: @EmpireStateCCC
- Facebook: Empire State Campaign for Child Care
- X: @EmpireStateCCC
- Bluesky: @empirestateccc.bsky.social
- TikTok: @EmpireStateCCC
Post 1 – Foundation Message (Informed + Hopeful + Urgent)
Child care workers are the backbone of our economy—yet many are paid poverty-level wages.
It’s time for New York to invest in fair compensation so that this essential workforce can thrive, not just survive.
🎥 Watch the video: https://youtu.be/bm4wipSBCkw
💥 Learn how you can help and raise your voice: https://empirestatechildcare.org/support-the-child-care-workforce/
#ChildCareWorkforceNOW #ChildCareWorkforceThriveNY
Post 2 – Centering Workers and Families
Child care workers deserve wages that allow them to care for their own families, too.
Fair pay means stability for workers and the families they support every day. Let’s build a system where everyone can thrive.
🎥 Watch the video: https://youtu.be/bm4wipSBCkw
✍️ Share the video and sign the petition: https://empirestatechildcare.org/sign-the-workforce-petition/
#ChildCareWorkforceThriveNY #ThriveTogether
Post 3 – Justice Lens
Child care workers are the backbone of our economy—yet many are paid poverty-level wages.
This is a racial, gender, and economic justice issue.
The child care workforce—disproportionately women of color—is consistently undervalued and underpaid. That’s not care. That’s injustice.
🎥 Watch the video: https://youtu.be/bm4wipSBCkw
It’s time for change. Learn how you can help: https://empirestatechildcare.org/support-the-child-care-workforce/
#ChildCareWorkforceNOW #EquityInCare
Optional Post 4 – Invitation to Belong
Not sure how to help? You don’t need to do it all—take one powerful step.
Find your advocacy style, take action in ways that align with you, and join us in calling for fair pay for child care workers.
🎥 Watch the video: https://youtu.be/bm4wipSBCkw
🧭 Take the quiz & join the campaign: https://empirestatechildcare.org/support-the-child-care-workforce/
#ChildCareWorkforceThriveNY #AdvocateYourWay
✍️ Petition
Sign this petition to show your support for the people who care for our children. They deserve thriving wages, dignity, and the ability to care for their own families as well.
Child Care Workforce Facts
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).
Results from our 2025 survey of the child care workforce can be found here.
The Poem
We would like to thank Vonetta T. Rhodes, Co-Founder Western New York Child Care Action Team, and an incredible steering committee member of ESCCC, for lending her artistic brilliance and voice to advocate for the child care workforce. Her collaboration in writing the poem and narration allowed this video to come to life. The full poem can be read below.
