Our most precious resource

Greens candidate for Swansea, Phillipa Parsons, has called on the State government to urgently redress the disparity in wages between early childhood teachers working in community based preschools and those in others.

“University qualified early childhood teachers who opt to teach in community based preschools rather than in Department of Education and Training preschools and schools, are paid up to 20% less, equating to about $14,000 less per year,” Ms Parsons said.


“The State government has had quality teachers working for reduced wages for too long and it is now time to step up to the plate and ensure parity of wages for all preschool teachers, regardless of the way they are funded.

It is Greens policy that all children should be able to access publicly funded, quality preschool education for two years before school age. We need professional early childhood teachers in all our preschools, including community based preschools and long day care centres, yet the lower wages do nothing to attract or retain quality staff” she said.

“Early childhood teachers are some of the most undervalued members of the educational profession, yet the work they do cannot be overestimated. They do it for love and the sheer enjoyment of guiding and educating our youngest children in their formative years, and they should be remunerated accordingly.

This occupation is traditionally seen as a ‘female’ type of employment and the graduate numbers prove this to be correct. I would argue that if this was a role mainly staffed by men, the wages would be raised without hesitation,” alleged Ms Parsons.

“If this situation is not rectified, NSW will see a loss of qualified early child hood teachers in a climate where quality childcare is becoming more difficult for parents to access. The same rules that apply to schools must also apply to early childhood education so that it is accessible for our most precious resource, our children.”