New report says ‘profound barriers’ keep women, GA people of color from education, opportunity
A new report from the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute details what they say are “profound barriers hindering economic opportunity for women workers and early childhood education (ECE) teachers, particularly those of color, across Georgia.”
GBPI said the barriers to education and economic opportunity stem from Georgia’s childcare system.
According to their report, high costs of childcare compared to a family’s median income are creating “significant obstacles” for families working for economic stability.
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These burdens also hit families of color in a disproportionately heavier way, according to GBPI.
“The childcare challenges in Georgia are not just a matter of inconvenience; they are a fundamental barrier to economic opportunity for women, particularly women of color, and early childhood education teachers. Addressing these challenges is crucial for fostering a more inclusive and prosperous state,” report author Finch Floyd said.
According to Floyd’s report, Black teachers are facing challenging working conditions and disproportionately lower salaries.
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More broadly, GBPI says Georgia’s childcare system creates economic barriers when it comes to early childhood education teachers, mostly women, and other women workers in the state. This cost barrier increases for families of color, according to GBPI.
“Costs are too high relative to medium family income in most Georgia counties. For families of color, childcare costs take up a greater share of their median family income compared to white families. Additionally, not all families have enough childcare options available to them. Women often reduce their labor force participation to meet caregiving obligations, impacting their long-term earnings and wealth-building. Black women with young children tend to work more than their counterparts because they are often co- or main breadwinners and in greater need of childcare,” the report says.
The GBPI report says the federal government considers a family spending 7% or less of their income on childcare is affordable.
In Georgia, GBPI said for families with children as young as infants, the median cost of center-based care is sometimes as much as double that, ranging between 7% and 14% in 140 Georgia counties.
When it comes to racial disparities, GBPI said there was a difference between white families and families of color.
“The cost to families varies when considering race and ethnicity. In general, child care costs take up a smaller share of white families’ typical income across counties than Black or Brown families’ typical income,” GBPI said in the report. “Compared to white families, Black and Latino families face higher infant care costs in more counties, taking up more than 14% of their typical income.”
On the other end of the childcare problem in Georgia, GBPI said lower salaries for childcare staff and teachers of young children has a notable gap when it comes to private education or public. Georgia’s Pre-K lead program receives its funding from the lottery, rather than tuition, so pay levels are higher in the program.
In private schools, GBPI said Pre-K teachers “leave for the local school system” due to salary differences.
The GBPI recommends a variety of budget policies to improve childcare outcomes and systems in Georgia. A full set of recommendations can be found here.
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