Ethical Issues In Child Care

In the United States many families, both single and two parent, enroll their children in some form of childcare operation. In these operations, the day to day care and education of these children is performed by childcare providers. Authors Kristin B.Mallegg, and Joseph Palmisano point out that childcare providers responsibilities encompass all aspects of caring for children from basics such as ensuring that every child is clean and safe, to helping children reach their educational goals such as strengthening the child’s social, language, and school readiness skills. But sadly the wages for these workers are often low, with the average annual wage for workers at $19,730 (Summary). These low wages can cause many issues for providers and the

Many people do not respect the childcare field, and some of the most moving evidence for this phenomenon comes from the workers who experience it. For example, former childcare provider and phycologist Kathy Mogdigliani recounts her experiences, saying “I felt [dread] at being in a social gathering and being asked what I “did” … I learned to say I was the director of the center-it had a little more status than admitting I worked directly with children. But inevitably the stranger would change the subject anyway.”(53). But when Ms. Mogdigliani changed jobs the response of others did as well “My answer to the dreaded question changed slightly... [The titles] sounded similar to me, but the difference in people’s reactions was astounding. They kept talking to me. They asked other questions about my work!”(53). One explanation for this phenomenon is that low wages are typically associated with low skilled work. Looking at careers with similar pay rates confirms this, according to a summary report from O*NET Online, a database that provides reports on different careers, cashiers, whose median wage is $19,060, just $670 per year less than childcare workers, requires “Little or no previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience.” A study by researcher Paula Gerstenblatt and her team supports the theory that society does not think childcare requires skill, with many of childcare providers they interviewed supporting this point, one said “Some people in my life are like, oh that’s so easy. What are you stressed out about? How hard is that?’’ others made the same point “We get no respect from anyone. Not from parents, not from other people, because they don’t think that we work hard, they don’t think that our jobs are real jobs.”(71). However, childcare is work, and often difficult work at that, as a study by sociologist Margaret Boyd found,