Alabama Law Enforcement Leaders Talk With Child Care Providers and Read to Kids

Quality child care, particularly for infants and toddlers, is often unavailable or unaffordable for many families, especially for those with low incomes. One of the main drivers of this crisis is inadequate compensation and subpar working conditions for early educators, which result in high levels of turnover, impacting the availability and quality of programs. In Alabama, early educators make $22,770 a year on average, less than half of what kindergarten teachers earn.

The law enforcement members of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids know that early childhood education programs are a powerful way to give kids the right start in life and help them avoid becoming involved in crime later. Our members held a discussion earlier today with providers, parents, and the media on what can be done to support evidence-based policies that enhance the availability and affordability of high-quality early care and education, including addressing the needs of the early education workforce.

The discussion was based on information from the new report, “Child Care Educators Set Young Kids on the Path to Success.” The report was released on September 20th, which you can learn more about here.

Speaking at the event were Fight Crime: Invest in Kids members Paul Irwin, Jr., Chief of Police for Leeds, and Jonathon Horton, Sheriff of Etowah County. They were joined by Delyne Hicks, Executive Director of the James Rushton Early Learning Center.

Read the full report here