Child care sector — essential to Boston’s economy — is struggling to recruit new workers – WBUR
By Max Larkin
Boston is feeling the effects of a dwindling early education workforce, compounding problems caused by the lack of spaces providing child care in the region, according to a new city report.
The report, a joint effort by the Boston Opportunity Agenda and the city's Office of Early Childhood, paints a picture of an early education ecosystem that is perilously dependent on underpaid, overworked and aging educators.
Based on 653 survey responses from early childhood educators and directors in 2022, the report finds that young people aren’t filling vacancies in the workforce quickly enough and that wages remain far below a living wage for the region — and don’t necessarily increase with experience.
Nearly half of the survey's respondents worked in Boston, while the rest hailed from other parts of the state…