Medicaid Is a Lifeline for the Early Childhood Workforce

Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families recently released a new resource, Early Childhood Educators Still Need Medicaid—Now More Than Ever. The resource highlights a reality that deserves greater attention: Medicaid is not only a critical source of health coverage for children and families, but also an important support for the early childhood educators who care for them every day. Ohio’s early childhood educators are the backbone of our child care system. They nurture and educate our youngest children, support their healthy development, and make it possible for parents to work and families to thrive. Yet the workforce responsible for this essential work continues to face low wages and economic instability.

In Ohio, the average annual salary for early childhood educators is $23,230. Nearly one fourth of the early childhood workforce relies on public benefits to make ends meet. Among Ohio's early childhood workforce, 28.6% of early childhood workers are covered by Medicaid and 15% participate in SNAP.

These numbers tell us something important: the challenges facing early childhood educators are often the same challenges facing the families they serve.

An educator may spend her day caring for a child whose family is struggling to afford health care, child care, or groceries while facing those same pressures in their own household. The early childhood workforce is not separate from the families and communities it serves, but a part of those communities. When families and early childhood professionals cannot access the health care, child care, and other supports they need, the effects ripple into classrooms, child care programs, and the broader early childhood system.

Early learning and health supports cannot be treated as separate issues. A child’s ability to learn, grow, and thrive is deeply connected to their family’s access to health care and economic stability, and the strength of the early childhood workforce depends on those same supports.

Medicaid is a critical lifeline for Ohio's children and families. It covers nearly half of all births in Ohio and nearly 48% of children under the age of 6, providing access to health care during some of the most important periods of development. For young children, access to consistent health care can help ensure they receive preventive care, developmental screenings, behavioral health support, and the services they need to thrive. For parents and caregivers, health coverage can provide greater stability and peace of mind. That same stability matters for the early childhood educators who care for Ohio’s youngest children.

Ohio’s child care system is already under tremendous strain. Families continue to face high costs and limited options for care, while programs struggle to recruit and retain qualified educators. Low wages, burnout, and challenging working conditions make it difficult to build and sustain the workforce Ohio needs. Nearly half of surveyed early childhood educators report feeling more burned out this year, underscoring the growing pressure on a workforce that is already stretched thin.

When an educator leaves, the impact reaches far beyond the individual worker. Classrooms lose an experienced teacher, programs may have to reduce enrollment or close a classroom, families may lose access to care or face an even longer wait for a child care spot. For parents, that can mean missing work, reduced hours, or leaving the workforce altogether. These challenges are interconnected and so are the solutions.

The health and well-being of children cannot be separated from the health and well-being of their families, and the stability of families cannot be separated from the stability of the early childhood workforce.

Medicaid is an important part of that foundation.

Protecting access to Medicaid means protecting access to health care for Ohio’s children and families. It also means recognizing the essential workforce that supports those families every day. When early childhood educators can access the health care they need and earn a living wage, they are more likely to remain in the field, benefitting children, families, and whole communities.