Pre-K Teachers Make Half What Kindergarten Teachers Make

by Michelle Faust

The U.S. Department of Education released a report last week showing preschool teachers earn poverty-level wages. Some believe this can affect retention of good teachers.

Preschool teachers in Ohio make less than half of what elementary-school teachers make.

“People look at kindergarten as education and look at preschool as babysitting,” says Barbara Cicerchi, who trains early childhood educators at Cuyahoga Community College.

She encourages her students to get their bachelor’s degree to improve their earning potential. But even with a B.A., these professionals still make about half than as much as their counterparts with a similar education level.