A new report from Delaware’s Early Learning Advisory Committee offers a roadmap for Delaware to reach its Early Childhood Education goals – strengthening support and access to early learning and bolstering its workforce.
Committee Chair Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long says there are four priorities – aligning governance, increasing program access – particularly for marginalized communities – prioritizing meaningful investments, and supporting the early childhood workforce through better pay structures and educational opportunities.
“To me, as a mom, as a nurse, there is nothing more important than early education," Hall-Long says. "We literally, from the time of birth to five, we have 1825 days where 90% of brain development occurs, and if we want kids coming to school in kindergarten ready, we have to invest early.”
Hall-Long announced highlights from the report at the Latin American Community Center’s La Fiesta Early Development Center in Wilmington. The center’s Director of Early Childhood Karen Hartz says they are opening a new infant and toddler center in April, but it’s hard to hire and keep teachers.
“The funding that we have available to pay salaries doesn't always match up to funding that other industries have available to pay higher and higher wages that are being demanded with all the inflation right now,” Hartz says.
That’s why she says she’s thankful for the investments in Early Childhood Education included in Gov. John Carney’s recent budget proposal.
Hall-Long agrees that hiring and keeping a workforce is an issue, and the state wants to incentivize early educators. The report says Delaware early educators with a bachelor’s degree are paid 34.6 % less than their colleagues in the K-8 system. And, the poverty rate for early educators in Delaware is 13%,higher than for Delaware workers in general at 8.5% and 8.8 times as high as for K-8 teachers at 1.5 percent.
She adds kids entering preschool and kindergarten now were born just before or during the pandemic, and are likely lacking in socialization and emotional skills.
“23% of children already have what is called Acquired Childhood Exposures to Trauma and Interaction," Hall-Long says. "Children and babies born during COVID have also had less social interaction and there are more challenges. And for children and young adults, that’s a whole other subject, where mental health has really upticked in crises and challenges.”
The report’s authors also note over 55 percent of eligible young children fail to receive the services they need for healthy growth and development.
And in Delaware, the cost of care is one of the biggest barriers – child care for one child costs approximately 20% of the median family income, or around $13,000 per year per child.
The full report can be found at ltgov.delaware.gov/early-childhood-education/.