Advocates and providers say the salary for child care workers is less than a livable wage.
“This field doesn’t pay a lot,” said Katelyn Fredricks, director at Joyful Beginnings. “The reason I’m here is because I absolutely love children. I want to give back because what day care teachers have done for my children.”
Despite loving her job taking care of children, when her paycheck hits her bank account, Fredricks shared that it often isn’t enough to cover her expenses.
“I do have to go without things that I need in order to provide for my family,” said Fredricks.
In the wake of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s announcement on universal child care, advocates say they are thrilled with the state’s commitment. They, however, expressed concerns on if there will be new policies to raise the pay for child care workers.
“We’re going to need to grow the child care workforce, and to recruit and retain the child care workforce for the long haul, we’re going to need to raise wages,” said Shoshana Hershkowitz, campaign manager for the Empire State Campaign for Child Care.
The Empire State Campaign for Child Care has proposed a permanent state fund to increase child care worker compensation with a price tag of $1.2 billion for the 2026-27 state budget.
“The median income for a child care educator in the state is anywhere between $36,000 and $38,000,” said Hershkowitz. “It’s not a living wage in this state.”
In its 2026 data book on The State of New York’s Children, The Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy highlights as a comparison showing child care workers make less than half of elementary school teachers with even retail salesclerks out-earning them.
“We can make sure there’s a minimum wage for our child care workers and frankly, it needs to be high,” said Rebecca Bailin, executive director of New Yorkers United for Child Care. “If the government is paying for it, we can say this is how much you need to make.”