Unlike most developed nations, America has never treated care of its youngest children as a public good worthy of significant public investment, especially in relation to K-12 public education. Indeed, the pandemic highlighted the vast gulf in America that separates K-12 teachers from many child-care professionals when it comes to pay, job protection, and respect. It is a disparity rooted in race, class, gender, and nativism. More than 90 percent of those who work with the youngest children are female — about 1 in 55 American women in the workforce — more than a third are people of color, and they are more likely to be immigrants and come from lower-income backgrounds than public school teachers.  It is also rooted in history. This article discusses the legacy of free care that enslaved people were forced to provide for infants and toddlers which has evolved into child care being seen not as a public good, but as part of a service industry.

Author: The Hechinger Report