Child Care Provider Compensation Data for the State of Connecticut
State-Wide Compensation Data
It is important to look at compensation for early childhood educators. This data focuses on Connecticut wages.
Click here for Connecticut’s factsheet, which includes an analysis of the state’s child care compensation data and policy considerations for lawmakers.
Charts with dropdown boxes below them allow you to filter the data. Click on the arrow to the right side of the dropdown box to select your filter options. The graph will change based on your selections.
To enlarge a graph, click on the arrows in the top right corner of the graph.
Average Wages for the Child Care Workforce in Connecticut
Child care educators in Connecticut earn an average of $20.40 per hour, with salaries varying by program type and funding source. Teachers in Exempt Programs (e.g., Board of Education) earn $41.13 per hour on average, compared to $20.92 in centers and $13.93 for family child care owners.
Optional brief description lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Amet dui enim eu vulputate nec. Pretium volutpat ultricies non feugiat arcu sit. Aliquet sed accumsan duis dui penatibus eget in sagittis. Tristique nisl sit ultrices eget.
Hourly Wages of the Child Care Workforce in Connecticut Compared to the Living Wage
According to the MIT Living Wage Calculator, the living wage for one adult with no children in the state of Connecticut is $24.13 per hour. Yet many individuals in the child care workforce earn less than this living wage.
- Overall, 80% of child care providers reported wages that were less than this living wage benchmark.
- 55% of providers who work in Board of Education or Other Exempt program earned less than this living wage benchmark.
- 87% of providers who work in licensed centers earn less than this living wage benchmark.
- 96% of providers in family child care homes earn less than this living wage benchmark.
Optional brief description lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Amet dui enim eu vulputate nec. Pretium volutpat ultricies non feugiat arcu sit. Aliquet sed accumsan duis dui penatibus eget in sagittis. Tristique nisl sit ultrices eget.
Average Hourly Wage by Provider Age Group
Providers between the ages of 45 and 54 years earned the highest average wages at $25.53 per hour, followed by those aged 55 to 64 at $24.67. Providers under 35 had the lowest wages, with those aged 18 to 24 averaging $16.58 per hour.
Optional brief description lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Amet dui enim eu vulputate nec. Pretium volutpat ultricies non feugiat arcu sit. Aliquet sed accumsan duis dui penatibus eget in sagittis. Tristique nisl sit ultrices eget.
Average Hourly Wage by Highest Education Completed
Highest educational degrees were broken down by Early Childhood Education (ECE) and non-ECE degrees. Providers with master’s degrees earned over $20 more per hour than those with associate’s degrees—for example, $46.30 per hour for a master’s in ECE versus $23.15 for an associate’s in ECE.
Optional brief description lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Amet dui enim eu vulputate nec. Pretium volutpat ultricies non feugiat arcu sit. Aliquet sed accumsan duis dui penatibus eget in sagittis. Tristique nisl sit ultrices eget.
Average Hourly Wages of the Child Care Workforce by Career Ladder Level
The Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC) developed an Early Childhood Career Ladder for child care professionals. It includes levels 1-15, from entry level through advanced degrees.
With a few exceptions, a higher career ladder level means higher average hourly wages for the child care workforce in Connecticut. Child care professionals on step 1 of the career ladder made an average wage of $17.67, while those on steps 12 and higher made over $27.00 per hour on average.
Optional brief description lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Amet dui enim eu vulputate nec. Pretium volutpat ultricies non feugiat arcu sit. Aliquet sed accumsan duis dui penatibus eget in sagittis. Tristique nisl sit ultrices eget.
Average Hourly Wage by Provider Gender
Male and female providers make about the same wage, with males earning slightly more than females on average. Males have an average wage of $22.19 and females had an average wage of $21.75. However, those who identified as nonbinary report a lower average wage of $17.78 per hour. Please note that only nine providers in the dataset identify as nonbinary and 235 (4%) identify as male. Of the 5,474 people who responded 62 did not answer or refused.
Optional brief description lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Amet dui enim eu vulputate nec. Pretium volutpat ultricies non feugiat arcu sit. Aliquet sed accumsan duis dui penatibus eget in sagittis. Tristique nisl sit ultrices eget.
Average Hourly Wage by Provider Race
Compared to other races, White providers reported higher earnings. For instance, White providers earn an average of $23.61 per hour while those who identified as American Indian or Alaska Native, Black/African American, more than one race, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander had average wages below $20 per hour.
Optional brief description lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Amet dui enim eu vulputate nec. Pretium volutpat ultricies non feugiat arcu sit. Aliquet sed accumsan duis dui penatibus eget in sagittis. Tristique nisl sit ultrices eget.
Average Hourly Wage by Hispanic/Latino Ethnicity
Providers who identified as Hispanic or Latino reported an average hourly wage of $18.79, which was nearly $5 lower than non-Hispanic/Latino providers, who earned an average of $23.18 per hour. Of the 5,474 people who responded 724 did not answer or refused.
Optional brief description lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Amet dui enim eu vulputate nec. Pretium volutpat ultricies non feugiat arcu sit. Aliquet sed accumsan duis dui penatibus eget in sagittis. Tristique nisl sit ultrices eget.
County-Level Compensation Data
Average Hourly Wages for the Child Care Workforce by County
Optional brief description lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Amet dui enim eu vulputate nec. Pretium volutpat ultricies non feugiat arcu sit. Aliquet sed accumsan duis dui penatibus eget in sagittis. Tristique nisl sit ultrices eget.
Take Action CTA
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Velit dolor sed quisque ligula ut porta vestibulum magna eget. Euismod gravida est cursus vulputate. Nisl praesent ipsum pellentesque vel porttitor metus hendrerit. Vitae elementum in aliquam nibh. Magna sed eu cursus.
