The childcare workforce in Massachusetts is about 12% smaller today than it was before the start of the pandemic. WBUR checked in with eight current and former childcare workers about the joys and challenges of the industry, and why some are leaving the profession. Kimberly Artez, who lost her job as director of a childcare center when the program closed during the pandemic, later found a job as a lead teacher in a toddler classroom after 18 months of applications. The highest annual salary Artez – a military veteran who holds two master’s degrees in education and criminal justice – has ever earned in the profession is $38,000.
We asked 8 childcare workers about their joys and frustrations. Here’s what they said.
