Why nursery teachers should get the COVID vaccine next

As a PhD candidate studying childcare in the United States, childcare workers continue to allow parents to get a job during COVID, but do not receive gratitude, living wages, medical benefits, or paid leave. I found. Unfortunately, for decades Nursery teachers have lived in this situation, And COVID makes it much more urgent to take action.

After hearing from community members in a high-needed area of ​​Greenville, South Carolina, why affordable, high-quality, accessible child care enables people to work and provides early learning, 6 I have been studying and learning about child care for years. For kids. In this statement from the community, I helped lead the effort to bring the 2- and 3-year-old headstart classrooms back into the area. By implementing the project, I learned about the mechanism of childcare and had my own son. I made friends with my son’s nursery teacher and told me what was happening at the nursery school and the situation of the nursery teacher everywhere, which led to action research to improve the overall childcare. I did more research on this topic through employment at a local think tank, followed by a policy analysis. Currently, my treatise aims to start with workers and start improving overall childcare.

Women and men who care for our children while we work should have access to living wages, medical care, and the respect they deserve. This is when raising a nursery teacher to the forefront of the vaccine line.

Nursery teachers should be prioritized to receive COVID vaccination

Currently, 4K-12 teachers are publicly required to prioritize receiving COVID vaccination, for good reason. The teacher stays indoors for hours and the classroom is full of children every day. Therefore, According to CDC guidelines, They are at high risk of getting COVID. Nursery teachers meet the same criteria and deserve prioritization of COVID vaccination. After all, they are also teachers. Child care workers need to be vaccinated with COVID now.

Situation of childcare workers during a pandemic

During the COVID pandemic, childcare workers have watched other businesses shut down, but in many states childcare never did. As schools (4K-12), clinics, retail stores, restaurants, etc. are closed, childcare workers continue to go to work to secure people in jobs that are classified as “essential”. (And so while we continue the pandemic) “You can continue to be hired, and workers classified as indispensable are from many who can and can stay at home. Admired and grateful for their dedication. Efforts to seek hazard pay and bonuses for essential workers are gaining momentum, but childcare workers were not part of the debate.

According to my research, one childcare manager and teacher felt this was an additional jab. “No one has declared.’Oh, you endanger yourself every day.’ … Grocery employees received bonuses and all sorts of gratitude and gratitude. But we stayed there all the time, accepting children every day … for those who have a family at home, they risked taking something home every day. ” The teacher wasn’t worried about people at home getting infected with COVID, but he had to worry about his health and had no health insurance to cover the cost of getting sick. ..

At another center, the Child Care Director shared health concerns with me, herself and her teachers: “In the Spring [2020] It was “Oh, teachers, ah, teachers, ah, teachers”.And now everyone wants people to get back to work and get back to normal … and [in] Childcare, changing diapers … Slow up, clean up diarrhea. They handle all kinds of things. So worrying about our own health is entirely within our rights … about safety, and what kind of safeguards are in place for teachers. “

Nursery teachers are not considered teachers or key workers and do not take into account their mental and physical health needs.

Access to healthcare

by Recently released preliminary data on childcare workers In the United States, 11.2% of childcare workers did not have any type of medical insurance. Some child care workers in my other study have health insurance, but those who cannot get insurance through their partner or spouse (24.5%) self-sufficiently spend a lot of money to enroll in a medical exchange. Plans that are eligible for high deductions (13.8%), either directly with the health insurance company (6.8% total) or through the employer, who reported that they are paying. Of the few childcare workers who are offered paid sick leave, many are afraid to take it.This means that at least 31.8% of child care workers across the country do not have adequate access to health care. During a pandemic..

Childcare workers support our economy

Childcare lays the foundations for children through education and life skills, requires high trust and supports the economy. Parents are aware that their children are cared for in a quality environment so that they can maintain their employment with the peace of mind that they are safe, loved and ready to go to K-12. You have to rely on it. But one nanny told me that she didn’t feel her parents valued them so much. “Many of them think this is not a real job … it’s just a stepping stone to your life. They get up every day and go to work. We get up every day and take care of our children. And allow you to go to work. “

Child care is an important component of the infrastructure, sustaining our economy by allowing parents to go to work and providing workforce preparation for children, families and employers.

What you can do

Nursery teachers need your help to get vaccinations first.Call or write to your state and federation Elected official Take action on this important issue. For elected officials, access to childcare workers’ vaccinations is a priority not only for their health, but also for our health and well-being, especially due to the fact that they often do not have access to adequate medical care. Tell them that it’s a matter of children, family, and workforce. They now need vaccination.

Dissertation Excerpt: Survey of Daily Life of Childcare Workers: How Low Wages and Lack of Benefits Affect Daily Life, Employment Decisions, and What They Need to Know (Unpublished) Dissertation).

Clemson University, Family and Neighborhood Life Research Institute