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Thursday, November 21, 2024

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Federal inquiry traces payments from Gaetz to women; a new Florida-Puerto Rico partnership poised to transform higher-ed landscape; MT joins Tribes to target Canadian mining pollution; Heart health plummets in rural SD and nationwide; CO working families would pay more under Trump tax proposals.

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Transgender rights in Congress, a historic win for Utah's youngest elected official, scrutiny of Democratic Party leadership, and the economic impact of Trump's tax proposals highlight America's shifting political and social landscape.

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The CDC has a new plan to improve the health of rural Americans, updated data could better prepare folks for flash floods like those that devastated Appalachia, and Native American Tribes could play a key role in the nation's energy future.

Mississippi child care workers struggle with poverty wages

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Tuesday, November 12, 2024   

A new report showed child care workers across the nation, including in Mississippi, are struggling with poverty-level wages.

The report revealed the median wage nationally for early childhood educators is just $13.07 an hour.

Anna Powell, senior research and policy associate for the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at the University of California-Berkeley, said the report found in the Magnolia State, the median wage for early childhood educators is less than $11 an hour.

"We estimate that the median hourly wage is about $10.62 for an early care and education worker in Mississippi," Powell explained. "That's compared to what we estimate the living wage to be, which is $14.49."

She added people who are working in the field are earning about 27% below what they would need to earn to afford a living wage. The study suggested boosting public funding for early childhood education, as the U.S. invests only $4,000 per child per child annually, far less than the $14,000 in other wealthy countries.

Powell noted the report highlighted key policies for supporting the early care and education workforce. One crucial aspect is improving compensation. She emphasized the importance of robust data and varied approaches for making informed policy decisions. Powell added it is not just about how much the state is investing in early care and education but the methods of distributing funds.

"One thing that many states are doing right now with the scarce resources available to them is thinking about that last piece," Powell stressed. "How can you spend smarter? That might look like trying to align payments for child care subsidies to the true cost of care, instead of a formula that a state may have used based on the current market rates."

The 2024 Early Childhood Workforce Index showed pay scales are insufficient for a single adult to earn a living wage in any state. Nearly half of child care workers rely on assistance programs, such as SNAP benefits and Medicaid, to survive.


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