In a nation with one of the highest child poverty rates in the developed world, the importance of high quality early childhood education cannot be overstated. Yet US early childhood education is underfunded, too expensive for many families and inaccessible in some areas. The program quality is uneven at best and with the average teacher salary under $15 an an hour, there is a high staff turnover at a time when young children need stability in their lives.
US early childhood education policy needs a serious overhaul.
Given these realities, you might think that the Chicago City Colleges would be expanding and improving their training programs for early childhood educators and deepening connections to the communities they serve.
You would be wrong.