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AFT Launches First Class Teachers, a
Voice for Early Childhood Educators
The AFT this
week officially launched First Class Teachers, a new effort to unite
early childhood educators and their allies to support better wages,
benefits, professional development opportunities and working conditions.
Headquartered
on the Web at http://www.firstclassteachers.org/
, the campaign will incorporate a range of cutting-edge online
techniques that support early educators who don't receive the respect,
wages and benefits they deserve for educating our youngest children.
In doing so, First Class Teachers will help combat the current crisis
of attrition facing the early education workforce.
"The status
quo of low wages, lack of benefits and scant professional development
opportunities for early care and education workers is unacceptable,"
said Marci Young, deputy director in the office of the executive
vice president and leading the new effort. "Every year, one-third
of the workers leave their jobs, with the major reason being low
pay. First Class Teachers recognizes that a teacher's working environment
is a child's learning environment. It provides a way for early childhood
educators to work together for change."
First Class
Teachers, through its Web site, will offer a range of valuable services
to the early education community. Highlights include:
- Teaching resources for early educators-Early educators often
find it difficult to obtain the materials necessary to do their
jobs. First Class Teachers already has posted a number of useful
documents specifically for early educators, and will regularly
add new ones;
- Message boards-Teachers can exchange tips, publicize events,
or just vent to people who will understand;
- Advocacy tools-Through the site, visitors can write to their
members of Congress and demand improved wages, better working
conditions, and respect. The site will highlight key state and
local issues on an ongoing basis, and galvanize support on their
behalf;
- Membership privileges-Through First Class Teachers, early
educators can get access to AFT Plus benefits for only $50 a
year. These benefits include educational loans and services,
health club discounts, and many kinds of insurance.
"Decades
of research have shown that a high-quality early childhood education
is the launching pad for a child's successful school career," said
Antonia Cortese, AFT's executive vice president. "Well-trained and
professional teachers are one of the key elements to providing a
safe, enjoyable and academically stimulating early childhood education
environment, and the First Class Teachers campaign will help achieve
this goal." [AFT press release/Leslie Getzinger]
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