Childcare Landscape Study - Flipbook - Page 4
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Davidson County Child Care Landscape Study Results
Child Care Centers Pay Educators an Average Wage of $18.15 Per Hour
The average child care center in greater Davidson County pays early childhood educators,
including both lead and assistant educators, an estimated average of $18.15 per hour.
Although local wages exceed the 2022 national median of $13.07 per hour, almost all (91%)
local early childhood educators earn less than the local ALICE Household Survival Budget
Threshold, or the estimated minimum hourly wage required for a single adult living alone to
meet their basic needs without assistance.a,6,7
In Davidson County, the ALICE Threshold is $22.50 per hour, placing the average
educator's wage $4.35 per hour below the level needed to cover basic household necessities,
such as housing, food, or healthcare, without assistance.
%
91
of center-based educators
do not earn enough to cover
basic household necessities
At Least 2 in 5 Child Care Centers Do Not Offer Health Insurance or Retirement Plans
Workplace benefits offered to educators play an important role in retaining a high-quality
ECE workforce.8,9 Across surveyed center-based child care programs, benefits such as paid
leave for holidays, vacation time, and sick time for full-time educators are common: 91
percent offer paid vacation time, and 85 percent offer paid sick or personal leave.
In contrast, health and retirement benefits for full-time educators are offered less consistently.
Just over half of centers offer health insurance (58%) or contribute to educators’ retirement
accounts (55%). With many educators lacking workplace benefits that support long-term
financial stability, centers may face challenges maintaining a stable workforce.
More Than Half of Child Care Centers Have High Annual Turnover (>20%)
High educator turnover is a central challenge in greater Davidson County. We estimate that just
over half (57%) of child care centers experience high turnover.b,10,11 Specifically, child care
centers in greater Davidson County have an estimated average turnover rate of 32 percent.
a ALICE is an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed, and represents households with income above
the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), but below the basic cost of living. The Household Survival Budget reflects the minimum
cost of household necessities (housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, and technology) plus taxes, adjusted for
all US counties and various household compositions.
b Consistent with other early childhood workforce research, we define
