No one should care for your family at their own family’s expense

It’s time for worthy ages for child care providers

By Michael Mulgrew

Home-based family child care is an essential component of New York City’s subsidized child care system, which serves more than 300,000 children. This type of care allows tens of thousands of hard-working, low-income families, predominately people of color, to hold jobs outside the home. Additionally, and just as important, children are better prepared to enter and succeed in school when they are given access to early education through our committed providers.

In many cities all across this nation, child care providers face a paradoxical challenge. They provide families with high-quality child care while barely being able to provide for their own families due to extremely low wages. New York City is no exception, and the UFT represents 15,000 home-based family child care providers located in all five boroughs, many of whom are paid far less than the new minimum wage of fifteen dollars an hour.

It goes without saying that our providers deserve a wage that provides them with the security to raise and care for their families just as they have cared for the families of others. It’s my hope that we make this Worthy Wage Day not just a day to draw attention to the cause, but a day of action where we unite to improve the compensation and work environments for the early care and education workforce.

Michael Mulgrew is the President of the United Federation of Teachers