Report: Pre-K teachers twice as stressed as other working adults

Pre-K teachers experience nearly double the level of frequent job-related stress compared to other working adults, according to the findings of the RAND American Pre-K Teacher Survey results.

The survey was taken of 1,427 public school-based pre-K teachers in March and April 2024. The sample was limited to lead or co-lead teachers in general education and special education.

The report “provides new information about the well-being, pay, and working conditions of public school–based pre-K teachers that is relevant to state legislators, school district leaders, early childhood program leaders, and public school principals who lead schools with pre-K classrooms,” wrote study authors Elizabeth D. Steiner, Anna Shapiro, and Phoebe Rose Levine.

Managing student behavior was the most frequently cited stressor, with 67% of pre-K teachers ranking it in their top three stress sources. Additional stressors included low pay, administrative workload outside of teaching, and supporting students’ mental health.

Eighteen percent of pre-K teachers expressed intentions to leave their jobs in 2024, slightly lower than K–12 teachers and similar working adults. But intentions to leave were higher among those with lower pay and fewer years of experience.

Pre-K teachers reported working fewer weekly hours — 47 on average — than K–12 teachers — 53 hours, but eight hours more than their 39 hours of contracted time. Teachers with more than five years of experience worked an average of three hours more per week than less experienced teachers.

Pre-K teachers reported an average base pay of $63,588, which is $6,876 less than K–12 teachers and $24,235 less than similar working adults.

The survey drops as North Carolina grapples with serious challenges in its child care and pre-K sector. Gov. Josh Stein’s recent announcement of a Task Force for Child Care and Early Education is a response to what many are calling a crisis in access, affordability, and workforce shortages.

Child-care center operators, like Mary Myers from Davidson County, have drawn attention to the labor shortage in early childhood education. “We don’t have the teachers,” Myers said in 2022, citing a lack of qualified staff due to degree requirements, low pay, and the high-pressure environment.

North Carolina families are also bearing the brunt of these issues, with tuition costs increasing and countless child-care programs teetering on closure due to funding gaps. Recent surveys reveal that a lack of child care is forcing many parents out of the workforce altogether, creating ripple effects across industries.

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