Changes in Stress Following Wage Increases for Early Childhood Educators.

ABSTRACT: Early childhood educators have one of the most important roles in society, helping the youngest generation flourish, yet educators earn some of the lowest wages. Given their disparate financial value, educators have unsurprisingly reported high stress. Educators' high stress and low wages may affect their health, workplace turnover, and children's development. Here, we observed whether natural wage increases were associated with reduced stress in educators during the 2021-2022 academic year. Across two time points (TPs), 67 center-based educators of children 0-5 years old completed surveys on their wages and psychological stress (perceived stress, depression, and anxiety). Fifty educators provided hair cortisol concentration to represent chronic physiological stress. Over about three month

SUBMITTER: Bates RA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11906561 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature