Open Discussion Forum

Hailed as 'Heroes,' Child Care Workers in Some States Are Denied Vaccine Priority

  • 1.  Hailed as 'Heroes,' Child Care Workers in Some States Are Denied Vaccine Priority

    Posted 01-21-2021 05:03 PM
    In Ohio and a number of other states, early childhood educators are not included in the 1b vaccine priority even though the CDC includes them in this category in their recommendations. We continue to advocate for this change.

    Quite a few NAEYC members are quoted in this article: https://www.edsurge.com/news/2021-01-21-hailed-as-heroes-child-care-workers-in-some-states-are-denied-vaccine-priority

    Here's a powerful excerpt:

    Ashley C. Williams, a senior policy analyst at the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at the University of California, Berkeley, says the states that are decoupling early childhood educators from their K-12 counterparts illustrate not only the "societal dissonance" that exists between the two sectors but also the underlying equity issues rooted in history.

    "What is it about this workforce of women that they are expected to shoulder the burden of a pandemic, with their own health and wellbeing and their economic dignity on the line? What is it about this group that continues to be undervalued?" Williams asks. "I think it dials me back to issues of inequity and injustice for the people performing this work. Child care in this country has deep roots of oppression and roots in slavery, where Black women were caring for white women's children and having to prioritize those children's needs over their own. That is a deeper conversation and a deeper perspective that we need to have."



    ------------------------------
    Kimberly Tice
    Executive Director
    Ohio Association for the Education of Young Children
    Mount Gilead OH
    ------------------------------