EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS AND ADULT EDUCATORS

WHEREAS, all of our teachers—including those who work with our youngest students and adult learners—are dedicated professionals who strive to see all students succeed; and

WHEREAS, licensed early childhood, family education and adult education teachers often do not have access to the same protections as traditional teachers, including due process and other statutory rights; and

WHEREAS, in our nation, women make on average 78 cents for every dollar a man makes for doing the same job; and

WHEREAS, in education, early childhood, pre-K and adult education, teachers (who are overwhelmingly women) teach students, write lesson plans, call parents, create curriculum and more—just as K-12 teachers and higher education instructors do, often for less pay; and

WHEREAS, because the law in many states doesn't require pre-K and adult education teachers to have licenses—even though most school districts do require a license—many of these teachers don't get nearly the same pay, health insurance or benefits as traditional teachers; and

WHEREAS, it is imperative to increase awareness within teacher locals about contractual disparities affecting early childhood and adult education teachers and to work to help local bargaining teams fully embrace the concept that “a teacher is a teacher is a teacher” when they bring their proposals to the negotiations table; and

WHEREAS, it is beyond time to make sure early childhood and adult education teachers are on the same playing field as their peers:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers will work to ensure that early childhood and adult education teachers receive due process and other statutory rights currently denied to them; and

RESOLVED, the AFT will engage locals in the shared goal of improving the negotiated working conditions not only of early childhood and adult education teachers, but also other members and prospective members who work with early learners and adult learners in a variety of school-based settings, such as School Readiness, KidStop, or General Education Development (GED); and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will work to inform locals on this issue and related pay-equity issues, and make a call to action to all locals regarding the inequities facing these members that are embedded in our collectively bargained contracts, including gender-based pay disparities; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT's legislative agenda will include support for state legislation that addresses the inequities faced by early childhood and adult education teachers.