Each April, the National Association for the Education of Young Children celebrates Week of the Young Child, recognizing the importance of high-quality early childhood care and education (ECE) and advocating for the professionals that make it possible.

Rena Hallam, University of Delaware professor and interim dean of UD’s College of Education and Human Development (CEHD), joins in this celebration each year, but takes her role as advocate seriously year-round. Parents and caregivers depend on ECE centers every day, and yet, ECE providers remain not only some of the lowest paid educators, but some of the lowest paid professionals across all occupations in the country — earning an average of only $13 per hour.

“The science is really clear about how important high-quality ECE is for children’s development and learning, but we haven’t spent enough attention on the ECE workforce,” said Hallam, who studies state systems and policies that affect the quality of center-based and home-based ECE programs. “We can encourage ECE educators and administrators to do all of these things to produce a high-quality program, but they need to be able to earn a living wage, earn a degree and feel supported and successful in their careers.” Read this article on UDaily.