“I was shocked at the salary that was offered. There were long days of discussion and debate with my husband over whether we could afford for me to take my dream job at a 30% pay cut.
Ultimately, I decided to follow my dream. I love my job, but it has cost me and my family dearly.”
My name is Lauren Dalton and this is my first day of school picture! I remember how excited and scared I was on this day. It was September of 2020 and I was about to begin my first semester as a full-time professor of Early Childhood Education at Massasoit Community College during the pandemic. I spent over 20 years working as a teacher in Early Childhood Education and 12 years teaching Kindergarten, Integrated Preschool, and serving as the Early Childhood Coordinator for a public school district but it was always my lifelong dream to be a teacher educator.
When I applied for the position and was offered the job, I was shocked at the salary that was offered. There were long days of discussion and debate with my husband over whether we could afford for me to take my dream job at a 30% pay cut.
Ultimately, I decided to follow my dream. I love my job, but it has cost me and my family dearly. I have two grown daughters and a young son. My husband is a self-employed construction company owner. Since accepting the position, we have incurred significant debt in college loans for my daughter, home equity loans, and credit card debt as a result of using this credit to get by. Like many of my colleagues, I work three other part-time jobs to try and make ends meet. I work doing training workshops in the evening and I teach as an adjunct professor at Massasoit and another MA community college. I am teaching the equivalent of 2 full-time faculty jobs. This leaves little time for me to spend with my young son. Even more frustrating is that although I get one paycheck for both my full-time and adjunct teaching, only my full-time salary will count toward my retirement which will have to provide for both me and my husband.
But enough about me, let’s talk about my students! I’m so happy that MassEducate has provided an opportunity for more students to access higher education especially since there is a major workforce shortage in Early Childhood Education and Care in Massachusetts. Childcare centers are struggling to find qualified staff to educate and care for children during the critical early childhood years when 90% of brain development takes place and without childcare, parents cannot work and this hurts the overall economy.
My students typically work at least part-time while attending school and rely on nights and weekends to complete assignments. I want to go above and beyond to help create a professional early childhood workforce that provides quality early childhood experiences that will shape the lives of the children and families they serve for years to come. But….. I. am. exhausted. My students deserve better. My family deserves better. I deserve better. It’s time for the state to step up and pay Community Colleges a living wage.