Childcare: The Kids Vs Derek Jeter

Childcare
OK so until I decided to work in the field of online travel, I had never intended to spend my life working with children. Yes I did the childcare degree in the UK but that was because I wanted to travel. I thought if I got that degree I could become a nanny which was a great way to travel the world for cheap, and I was right...it was. And then when I came to the USA and my children were born, I wanted them with me so working as a preschool teacher was a win win...But I NEVER expected it would become my career...But it did...And the funny thing is, I was really good at it. I moved up from being Assistant, to Teacher, to Lead Teacher, to Assistant Director, to Director, and I really enjoyed it.





But do you know what I did not enjoy, do you know what really really p##*@ed me off the most? It was the fact that what I did was seen by society as not very valuable, I mean I can only draw that conclusion as we here in the USA value things with a dollar amount, and as the dollar amount placed on me and other who worked in childcare was $7 to $9 an hour, what other conclusion can I draw?


So why should childcare be worth more?


Part of my job in childcare as Lead Teacher was to teach children to read. Now I may be a bit naive but I think that this is THE most important job on the planet, I mean think about it.... If children cannot read, there will be no doctors, no lawyers, no scientist, no teachers or professors, no....., well, you get the picture.


I really don't understand it, as a licensed family childcare provider, I saw parents wince when I told them my cost for taking care of their child for a week from 7am to 6pm was $150.00 (this worked out at $3.75 an hour) And yet these same parents don't think anything of paying much much more for other services..Here are some examples.....


Piano tuner. $70 an hour


Dog grooming $70 to $90 an hour


Computer hard drive install $199.00


Plumber $150 an hour


So why is anything related to childcare valued so low? This speaks to our Public School Teachers also but that is another post. These days many qualifications are required to work in childcare or to be a preschool teacher and yet the pay remains low .


But you know what, that is really not what bothers me the most, even though I truly think we should be paying these people much much more. No, what bothers me the most is when I open my MSN news and the first thing I see is that Derek Jeter just signed a new contract with the Yankees for...wait for it....$51 million !!!! Yes you read it correct $51 million for 3 years


So based on this, I can only draw the conclusion that this is what we consider valuable.....


Teaching a child to read................................................................................ $51 thousand over 3 years


Throwing a ball, catching a ball, hitting a ball, running in a circle................... $51 million over 3 years





Seriously, I have to ask..what is wrong with this picture? Why is it that we place so little value in the care and education of what is obviously our most important "resource" for the future and yet so much on our 'entertainment" Isn't childcare important too ?


What needs to be done for this to change? What can WE as individuals do to let society know that this is unacceptable and that we HAVE to invest more money in both early childhood and our Public education system and NOT be making the damaging cuts that are happening right now all over the country. But more important, how can we, as a society start placing less emphasis on movie stars, rock stars, people in sports and stop idolizing them.


And not being outraged when someone gets paid $5 million per episode for starring in a show about nothing!

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by: Julie Labes
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