The people paid to watch America's children tend to live in poverty. Nearly half receive some kind of government assistance: food stamps, welfare checks, Medicaid. Their median hourly wage is $9.77 — about $3 below the average janitor's.
In a new report, researchers at UC Berkeley say that child care is too vital to the country's future to offer such meager wages. Those tasked with supporting kids, they say, are shaping much of tomorrow's workforce.
"Economic insecurity, linked to low wages, remains endemic among those who care for and educate young children from birth to elementary school," the authors wrote. "This condition has endured despite a much-altered landscape in which developmental scientists, economists, and business and labor leaders have widely recognized the importance of early care and education in shaping children's development, promoting the health of families, and building a strong economy."
[For more of this story, written by Danielle Paquette, go to http://www.latimes.com/busines...0711-snap-story.html]
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