Article Summary –
Working families and childcare providers face difficulties in Montana. Despite being promoted to program director at a preschool with a pay increase to $16 per hour, Amanda Wiseman had to leave her job due to childcare costs for her own children. The report highlighted the broader issue of low wages for childcare workers in Montana, with an hourly median of $12.84 in 2022, and the subsequent recruitment challenges for childcare professionals.
In a recent investigation by Montana Free Press and Open Campus, they delve into the issues facing working families and childcare providers in Montana. Key insights come from Amanda Wiseman, an early childhood educator who sheds light on the realities of the childcare industry.
Wiseman, who started her childcare career with a $14 per hour wage, notes that early-ed teachers often feel “underappreciated.” Despite having a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and later becoming a program director, her wage only increased to $16 per hour.
Even as a program director, Wiseman faced the crushing cost of childcare for her own children. Unable to afford the cost from her wage, she stepped back from her career to take care of her family.
This experience is not unique to Wiseman. Montana childcare workers often earn low wages – with a median hourly wage of $12.84 in 2022 as reported by Montana Free Press. These low wages pose challenges to childcare professionals, especially if they don’t have access to affordable childcare for their own families.
Allison Wilson, director of UM’s Institute for Early Childhood Education, notes the paradox of the low wages in the sector. The pay for childcare professionals often doesn’t cover their own childcare costs, pushing them out of the field they’ve invested in.
Wiseman is looking to return to academia as a master’s student in early childhood education at UM. She aspires to develop early childhood curricula and believes that childcare providers would understand her employment gap. To attract more workers in childcare, Wiseman suggests promoting childcare as a rewarding career path.
“Many people have a heart for it,” Wiseman said. “They just need to know that they can get a degree in it.”
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