Gloria Kim leads her preschool students in an activity at the California Crosspoint Academy in Hayward.
Courtesy: Gloria Kim
For years, I began my workdays in tears, sitting in my car and wondering how a profession as vital as mine could be valued so little. I had a master’s degree in early childhood education, led a classroom of preschoolers who called me “Ms. Gloria” hundreds of times a day, and juggled lesson plans, behavior management and endless paperwork.
Yet I was barely making rent in California. My work was praised as noble, but my paycheck and benefits told a different story. And I kept asking myself: Why is the respect and value given to early childhood educators so different from that given to TK-12 teachers, leaving us feeling left out, excluded and treated as if our work matters less?
In California, TK-12 teachers can access tax benefits and housing programs that help ease financial burdens. They can deduct up to $300 in unreimbursed classroom expenses on their federal taxes. Some qualify for teacher-only affordable housing projects supported by low-income housing tax credits. Many are eligible for the California earned income tax credit (CalEITC) if their income meets the threshold.
As a preschool teacher, I do the same kind of demanding, essential work, yet I’m often excluded from these supports. My salary is just above the CalEITC cutoff — too high for help, far too low to keep up with California’s cost of living. These policies draw an arbitrary line that separates early childhood educators from our TK-12 colleagues, leaving us with the same responsibilities but fewer resources and greater financial strain.
Even though Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing introduced the new pre-K–3 credential, it falls short for many of us already in the field. It was backed by universal transitional kindergarten supporters and framed as a way to elevate the importance of early learning. But in practice, the credential requires a bachelor’s degree, completion of an accredited teacher preparation program, and at least 600 hours of student teaching. For experienced early educators already leading classrooms full time, this means stepping away from our jobs and paying upward of $12,000 just to earn another piece of paper. Instead of recognizing and building on our existing expertise, the system has created yet another hurdle that makes it harder to remain in the profession.
I work in a private preschool, but whether you teach in a nonprofit center, a church-based program, or a home-based child care, most early childhood educators in California are shut out of the benefits and protections TK–12 teachers receive. It’s not about where we work; it’s about a system that treats early childhood education as separate and less worthy of investment.
This divide ignores a fundamental truth: Early childhood education is not a side service to TK-12; it is the foundation upon which the rest of public education is built. Decades of research confirm that children’s earliest years, from birth to age 5, are critical for brain development, social-emotional skills and long-term success. A California-specific analysis by the Learning Policy Institute reveals that high-quality early education enhances school readiness, fosters later academic achievement, and yields a social return of up to $7 for every dollar invested.
If we want young people to grow into adults with strong literacy skills, resilience and a willingness to tackle challenges, we must foster these qualities in the earliest classrooms, where children first learn to try, stumble, and try again. When children arrive in kindergarten without a solid foundation in language, social skills, and self-regulation, they struggle to catch up. Teachers lose valuable time, and parents see their children fall behind. This gap is preventable, but only if early childhood educators are supported to stay in the field, deepen their expertise, and deliver consistent, high-quality instruction.
Today, chronic underpayment and lack of benefits are driving many talented early childhood teachers out of the profession. High turnover disrupts learning, breaks trusted relationships, and ultimately costs the education system far more in the long run. We would not accept this level of neglect for TK-12 teachers, and we should not accept it for early childhood educators, either.
California can change this by aligning benefits and supports for early childhood educators with those available to TK-12 teachers. That means:
- Expanding tax credits like CalEITC to reflect modest preschool salaries, so fewer educators are excluded by technical income thresholds.
- Ensuring access to affordable housing programs for all educators, regardless of employer type.
- Providing state-funded health coverage, retirement plans and paid professional development on par with TK-12 teachers.
- Establishing salary parity for preschool teachers with the same credentials and experience as their TK-12 counterparts.
These are not luxuries, but essential investments in the future. When early childhood educators have stability, children benefit from experienced teachers who can focus on teaching instead of juggling multiple jobs or worrying about rent.
I write this because I believe early childhood education is not just a calling. It is a career worthy of dignity, sustainability and respect. Love for the job cannot and should not be the only thing keeping us here. If we truly believe in educational equity, it must start at the very beginning. Equal respect, equal resources, and equal opportunity for early childhood educators are not just fair; they are necessary for California’s future.
The children in my classroom today will be the leaders of tomorrow. They deserve the strongest possible start, and that means valuing the educators who guide them through their first steps in learning.
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Gloria Kim, M.A., is a preschool teacher at the California Crosspoint Academy in Hayward.
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