{"id":120823,"date":"2026-02-03T01:19:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T01:19:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/120823\/"},"modified":"2026-02-03T01:19:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T01:19:07","slug":"pre-k-teachers-want-wage-gap-fix-before-mamdanis-child-care-expansion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/120823\/","title":{"rendered":"Pre-K teachers want wage gap fix before Mamdani\u2019s child care expansion"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sign up for Chalkbeat New York\u2019s free daily newsletter<\/a> to get essential news about NYC\u2019s public schools delivered to your inbox.<\/p>\n

The 4-year-olds in Rebecca Schneider-Kaplan\u2019s prekindergarten class are doing a science experiment designed to document the demise of a pumpkin named Jack. <\/p>\n

Since October, Schneider-Kaplan has recorded their observations in a binder. The kids use paint and cotton balls to illustrate the mold swallowing Jack\u2019s flesh.<\/p>\n

In previous years, the pumpkin experiment stopped much sooner. But this class loves science, Schneider-Kaplan said, so she adapted.<\/p>\n

Ushering a room full of pre-K students toward a learning goal requires constant improvisation. On a recent Tuesday morning at Stepping Stones Pre-School in Staten Island, Schneider-Kaplan held 11 pairs of eyes on a rotting pumpkin (seven students were missing because of the weather), while simultaneously sending a squirming child to the bathroom, keeping tabs on a boy who was more interested in pulling blocks off a shelf, and reminding multiple kids to keep their hands on their own bodies. <\/p>\n

\"ARebecca Schneider-Kaplan’s pre-K classroom on Jan. 26 at Stepping Stones Pre-school. (Abigail Kramer \/ Chalkbeat) <\/p>\n

Schneider-Kaplan, who has taught for 18 years, would earn significantly more money if she did the same job at a public school down the road, rather than a private child care center contracted to run pre-K through the city\u2019s Education Department. She would also get regular raises, health insurance, a pension, and additional pay for experience or extra training. And she\u2019d enjoy the same perks as city teachers, with prep time, a lunch break, and summers and school holidays off. <\/p>\n

The city has promised to fix the inequities for years, but an audit released by the city comptroller two years ago found that 90% of community-based lead teachers with master\u2019s degrees still earned less than their early childhood counterparts who worked in public schools. In the Bronx and Brooklyn, some certified teachers start at less than $36,000 a year \u2014 close to $30,000 less than at public schools, the audit found.<\/p>\n

Educators, who plan to hold a rally next week at City Hall, are angry that Mayor Zohran Mamdani is moving to expand care to 2-year-olds before addressing the existing inequities in the 3-year-old and 4-year-old programs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just a complete lack of respect,\u201d Schneider-Kaplan said. \u201cI needed two degrees to become an early childhood educator, but I cannot afford to pay back my loans because I don\u2019t make enough money.\u201d<\/p>\n

Early childhood wages are \u2018impoverishing\u2019 workers<\/p>\n

The city\u2019s subsidized early childhood system \u2013 which served nearly 160,000<\/a> babies and children last year \u2013 relies on a vast ecosystem of programs in public schools, neighborhood centers, and private homes.<\/p>\n

This fall, the Mamdani administration will add 2,000 new, free spots for 2-year-olds<\/a> \u2014 a first step toward meeting his campaign promise of universal subsidized child care for kids under age 5. <\/p>\n

In a December report<\/a>, Emmy Liss \u2014 who became the executive director of the mayor\u2019s Office of Child Care<\/a> just a few weeks after the report\u2019s publication \u2014 wrote that subsidized early education programs were built in part as anti-poverty programs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is somewhat ironic then that child care as a field is impoverishing its own workers, creating an entire class of working people who earn too little to provide for their families,\u201d Liss wrote, adding that the city\u2019s child care workers are almost entirely women of color.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince the time of slavery in the United States, Black women have been pushed toward caregiving roles for other children, and their work has been systematically underpaid and undervalued,\u201d Liss continued.<\/p>\n

Inspiration, advice, and best practices for the classroom \u2014 learn from teachers like you.<\/p>\n

Across all of our bureaus, Chalkbeat reporters interview educators with interesting, effective approaches to teaching students and leading their schools. Get the best of How I Teach sent to your inbox for free every month.<\/p>\n

In response to a request for comment, a spokesperson for the mayor\u2019s office wrote, \u201cMayor Mamdani has been clear \u2014 the individuals providing these critical services must be paid fairly and equitably. We are committed to continuity for our 3-K and Pre-K providers and the families they serve.\u201d <\/p>\n

Low pay isn\u2019t limited to teachers. Early childhood programs directors, who sometimes have decades of teaching and leadership experience, earn a median wage of $37 per hour, most without health insurance, according to a report<\/a> by the Center for New York City Affairs at The New School. Assistant teachers typically earn well under $40,000 a year. <\/p>\n

That has serious consequences for kids and parents, advocates and providers say. Programs struggle to hire staff, which results in empty classrooms and long waitlists. And when they do fill positions, teachers often leave as soon as public school jobs become available. <\/p>\n

City funding for early childhood classrooms \u201cdoesn\u2019t cover what the programs cost,\u201d said Michelle Kindya, the co-director of Stepping Stones Pre-School. \u201cOur liability insurance has doubled. Utilities go up. Everything has gone up except the budget.\u201d <\/p>\n

Kindya and her business partner, Marilynn Hopkins, have been running early education programs together for more than 40 years. They each have many years of teaching experience; Kindya was an early childhood professor at Brooklyn College for 11 years. And yet they earn less money than teachers with a few years of experience at public schools.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not valued,\u201d Kindya said.<\/p>\n

\u2018What would make them think we can survive?\u2019<\/p>\n

Like a lot of early childhood educators, Kindya and Hopkins say they stick with the job because they love what they do. <\/p>\n

Five years ago, the city gave them a little bit of hope when a new round of contracts included a salary bump for pre-K teachers. There were no raises for directors or assistants, but Kindya and Hopkins figured they could hold out until the next contract negotiations. The system was finally moving in the right direction.<\/p>\n

Then, at a meeting in November 2025, early childhood directors learned their contracts would be extended for two years with no funding increase \u2014 a decision made under former Mayor Eric Adams.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Mamdani \u2014 who would soon take office \u2014 was promising a massive expansion of the system in which many programs were barely treading water.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were shocked,\u201d Kindya said. \u201cBefore they spend the money to add 2-year-olds, shouldn\u2019t they fix the programs they already have? What would make them think we can survive?\u201d<\/p>\n

The news galvanized many program directors, who decided to throw their weight behind a movement demanding pay equity for early childhood educators. They launched a letter-writing campaign to the mayor and a social media campaign to raise awareness. Much of the organizing happens over a group chat that uses a play on the acronym for New York City Early Education: \u201cNo more NYCEE.\u201d<\/p>\n

Early childhood classrooms will remain open during the Feb. 12 rally at City Hall, though some will rely on substitutes or alternate staffing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will probably irritate people that we won\u2019t be at work. We may lose pay, or PTO. It won\u2019t be convenient,\u201d one organizer wrote on a Facebook group for early educators. \u201cTHIS is our opportunity. SHOW UP PEOPLE.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Schneider-Kaplan, the tipping point came when she saw a series of social media posts showing Mamdani and Ms. Rachel, a YouTube star who makes videos for young children. One post was captioned, \u201cIf you\u2019re excited for universal child care and you know it, clap your hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schneider-Kaplan responded with a post of her own, writing under the name \u2018Ms. Becky\u2019: \u201cIf you see every post about Universal Childcare as a slap in the face because you\u2019re an underpaid and under insured teacher, clap your hands!\u201d<\/p>\n

Abigail Kramer is a reporter in New York City. Contact Abigail at akramer@chalkbeat.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sign up for Chalkbeat New York\u2019s free daily newsletter to get essential news about NYC\u2019s public schools delivered…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":120824,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[4146,9,24,55,54,56,63,52991,52993,52990,52992],"class_list":{"0":"post-120823","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-city","8":"tag-chalkbeat","9":"tag-new-york","10":"tag-new-york-city","11":"tag-new-york-city-headlines","12":"tag-new-york-city-news","13":"tag-ny","14":"tag-nyc","15":"tag-pre-school","16":"tag-rebecca-schneider-kaplans-pre-k-classroom","17":"tag-stepping-stones","18":"tag-stepping-stones-pre-school"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120823","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=120823"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120823\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/120824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}