Examines the reasons for the shortage of teachers for preschool and elementary school age children, discussing possible future trends and suggesting ways to improve the situation through changes in training requirements and advocacy efforts to improve teachers' salaries. (KS)

A survey examined why many early childhood programs either stalled or gave up during the self-study phase of the accreditation process. Significant factors cited by survey participants were lack of time and staff turnover/program instability. Based on these results, it was recommended that the early childhood community address the issues of…

This second part of a two-part article describes specific steps that early childhood administrators can take to create an equitable compensation structure. They need to conduct a job analysis of and write a job description for each position, determine comparable worth, set salaries, and determine advancement policies. (MDM)

Describes the Governors' Campaign for Children and its three major objectives: (1) to increase public awareness of the needs of young children; (2) to simplify and improve federal and state programs to focus on the needs of children and their families; and (3) to help communities across the nation better respond to the needs of young children.…

Summarizes the National Association for the Education of Young Children's efforts to address inadequate teacher compensation. The organization's plans for 1992-93, and its role in the Worthy Wages Coalition, are discussed. (BG)

Maintains that early childhood education and care teachers and workers have some hard choices to face in terms of the delivery of high quality programs. Choices concern salaries, differential staffing and salary plans, interagency and institutional cooperation, curriculum design, and research. (BB)

Maintains that day care and early childhood employees must become organized and powerful enough to force wage and benefits increases. (BB)

Outlines some of the findings from public opinion polls and surveys on how the voting public feels about child care and what the actual problems are. Also indicates studies on child care which are now in progress. (BB)

Discusses federal and state initiatives to enhance child care quality and child care teachers' compensation. These initiatives have resulted from the passage of the Child Care and Development Block Grant in 1990. (BB)

Presents various questions and answers on issues concerning the federal legislation known as the Act for Better Child Care. Issues addressed include child care program costs, national and state standards for quality child care programs, and child care staff compensation. (BB)

The National Child Care Staffing Study explores the effect of teachers and teaching conditions on the caliber of center-based child care in the United States. The study raises concerns about the quality of services children receive, the education of staff, the work environment, low teachers' wages, and staff turnover. (BB)

Discusses the concerns of child care and early childhood workers about compensation. These concerns focus on equity, and the needs for comprehensive compensation systems and written compensation policies. (BB)

Examines reasons for the differing perceptions of teachers and parents about the quality of early childhood programs. Suggests focusing energy on the daily quality of work with children because, when teachers provide quality experiences, parents notice and are more likely to express their support in the policy and political arena where early…

Concludes from various research findings that men are leaving or being barred from work in child care programs because of low teacher salaries and prejudicial or stereotypic attitudes toward men. (BB)

Explores possible explanations for the lack of agreement about professionalism in the field of early childhood education. Examines the pros and cons of professionalizing the field. Offers a new paradigm designed to avoid the pitfalls of traditional concepts of professionalism. (BB)