Early childhood educators need a pay rise. And they need it now.

Almost 97% of early childhood educators and teachers are women.
100% of them need a pay rise and they need it now!

The average median hourly rate in Australia is $41. A qualified educator starts on $23.39 per hour and a centre director, a role often degree-qualified, starts at $35.17 per hour.

Early educators can't afford to live on these wages so they are leaving in droves. There are 20,000 staff vacancies in early education right now.

We need decision-makers in Canberra to act and to act fast. Send a letter to your Federal member letting them know why early educators need a pay rise.

Almost 97% of early childhood educators and teachers are women.
100% of them need a pay rise and they need it now!

The average median hourly rate in Australia is $41. A qualified educator starts on $23.39 per hour and a centre director, a role often degree-qualified, starts at $35.17 per hour.

Early educators can't afford to live on these wages so they are leaving in droves. There are 20,000 staff vacancies in early education right now.

We need decision-makers in Canberra to act and to act fast. Send a letter to your Federal member letting them know why early educators need a pay rise.

image of Early childhood educators need a pay rise. And they need it now.

Tell your MP early childhood educators need a pay rise

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Subject:

I am very concerned about the staff shortages in early childhood education and care. 
  
There are an estimated 20,000 early education jobs vacant right now. Staff vacancies have more than doubled since Covid19 first hit.

Every unfilled educator role impacts between six to twelve families. At the moment 16.4% of long daycare services are operating with a waiver because they don’t have the staff they need.

Every week I read a story about an early learning service turning away parents and children because they don’t have enough staff.

Early educators are leaving because they can’t afford to stay. Despite being skilled and doing one of the most valuable, demanding, important jobs in the country they are among the lowest paid workers in Australia.

The award commences with a rate of pay for a qualified certificate III educator of $23.39 per hour and a centre director, role often degree-qualified, starts at $35.17 per hour.  The average median hourly rate in Australia is $41. 
 
The average weekly take home pay for a full time educator is $1,059 a week. An entry level bricklayer earns $1550 a week.

It is the epitome of important valuable work being chronically undervalued and underpaid.

I know the Commonwealth Government knows this because it’s been acknowledged as a problem by many senior ministers. I’ve read that a process is underway to try and deliver better wages but I’m worried that if it isn’t addressed quickly, it’s going to create a huge problem for children, families, communities and employers.

Unless we stem the tide of educators leaving, families are going to struggle to access early learning and care. If parents cannot access the early childhood education and care their children and families need, they cannot access work. If they cannot access work, how can they provide for their family? How can communities function if nurses and teachers and aged care workers can't go to work? They can’t.

Can you tell your colleagues in Canberra that this is a crisis we cannot afford? Early educators need a pay rise. And they need it now.

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