|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Immigrants, both documented and undocumented, make up more than 21% of the child care workforce nationwide and roughly 39% in California, an analysis from the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment shows.
The percentages vary greatly from state to state. In several states, such as Mississippi and Vermont, immigrants make up less than 5%. And in others, like New York, immigrants make up roughly 40%.
The analysis also notes the potential impact of detention and deportation on child care programs and teachers, who are trying to maintain adequate staffing levels.
“Such abrupt loss of staff is tumultuous for parents, businesses, and children, who depend on stable relationships to feel secure themselves,” the analysis reads.
When the center published its 2024 Index, it estimated there were 2.2 million early educators nationwide.
“That means nearly half a million of these ECE professionals are immigrants, with language and cultural skills that serve the needs of the United States’ increasingly diverse child population.
“We cannot afford to lose their contributions to shaping the development of our youngest children,” the analysis reads. “Diversity is our strength as a nation; it begins with our children and with our early educators. Each early educator provides essential care and education for numerous families, contributing to a vibrant web of support.”
This story was originally published by EdSource.
