AFT Launches First Class Teachers, the Voice for the Early Childhood Workforce
New effort to galvanize early educators and allies for better wages and work conditions

Washington, D.C. - The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) today officially launched First Class Teachers, a bold new effort to unite early childhood educators and their allies in support of better wages, benefits, professional development opportunities and working conditions.

The campaign, headquartered on the Web at http://www.firstclassteachers.org/, will incorporate a range of cutting-edge online techniques that support early educators who don’t receive the respect, wages and benefits they deserve for educating our youngest children. In doing so, First Class Teachers will help combat the current crisis of attrition facing the early education workforce.

"The status quo of low wages, lack of benefits and scant professional development opportunities for early care and education workers is unacceptable. Every year, one-third of the workers leave their jobs, with the major reason being low pay," said Marci Young, deputy director in the office of the executive vice president and leading the new effort. "First Class Teachers recognizes that a teacher's working environment is a child's learning environment. It provides a way for early childhood educators to work together for change."

First Class Teachers, through its Web site, will offer a range of valuable services to the early education community. Highlights include:

• Teaching resources for early educators - Early educators often find it difficult to obtain the materials necessary to do their jobs. First Class Teachers already has posted a number of useful documents specifically for early educators, and will regularly add new ones;
  
• Message boards - Teachers can exchange tips, publicize events, or just vent to people who will understand;
  
• Advocacy tools - Through the site, visitors can write to their members of Congress and demand improved wages, better working conditions, and respect. The site will highlight key state and local issues on an ongoing basis, and galvanize support on their behalf;
  
• Membership privileges - Through First Class Teachers, early educators can get access to AFT Plus benefits for only $50 a year. These benefits include educational loans and services, health club discounts, and many kinds of insurance.

"Decades of research have shown that a high-quality early childhood education is the launching pad for a child’s successful school career," said Antonia Cortese, AFT’s executive vice president. "Well-trained and professional teachers are one of the key elements to providing a safe, enjoyable and academically stimulating early childhood education environment, and the First Class Teachers campaign will help achieve this goal."

For more information, go to http://www.firstclassteachers.org/.

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