Effects of COVID-19 on Child Care Professionals

Researchers from the University of Virginia and the University of California, Los Angeles released a study examining the wellbeing of child care professionals before and during the pandemic. The authors used longitudinal evidence from Virginia, surveying 700 workers to gauge the pandemic’s effects. The study found that pandemic conditions exacerbated early educators’ existing challenges, including low compensation, difficult working conditions, and high levels of stress and depression. Real wages for child care professionals declined due to inflation, and many lost access to benefits. As a result, educators struggled with cost of living, and rates of depression increased sharply.