This story was originally published by Reasons to be Cheerful
7 min read
This article was originally published by Shelterforce, an independent newsroom reporting on affordable housing.
When it came time for college student Eric Gil to choose a career, the Dominican Republic native opted for one of America’s fastest-growing professions: early childhood education.
As the eldest of three brothers, Gil already knew how to help and care for children. This, coupled with his admiration for his professors at Southern Connecticut State University, made teaching feel like a calling. The path became even clearer in 2023, when Gil began interning at the Friends Center for Children, a childhood education center in New Haven, Connecticut.
But there was one problem: finding an affordable place to live. A preschool teacher’s average salary in the state is about $31,000. The average price for a one-bedroom apartment in New Haven is about $2,100.
To save money, Gil commuted from Waterbury, where he lived with relatives. The hourlong commute each way made studying difficult for the aspiring teacher.
Gil’s housing dilemma wasn’t unique. There were others among the center’s staff who commuted long distances to work. Still others didn’t have a stable place to call home.
Fortunately, the center came up with a solution: a free teacher housing program. The organization identified a housing problem in 2020 after surveying staffers about their living situations. Not one person owned their own home, and some were even couch surfing, says Friends Center Director Allyx Schiavone. Rent was the largest monthly expense for staff.
“We had no idea because these same women were showing up and taking care of other people’s children in the most professional and authentic and incredible way,” Schiavone says. “It was so obvious based on that one survey that the most powerful thing we could do was provide housing.”
At first glance, increasing salaries seems the most direct way to support early childhood educators struggling to afford housing. However, salary increases are a recurring operating expense, and for most early education providers, that would mean raising tuition for students’ families, according to Schiavone.
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Purchasing a home works differently. Instead of spending additional money each payroll cycle, Friends Center can invest in real estate that stays on its balance sheet, builds equity and appreciates in value over time, Schiavone says.
Friends Center pays approximately $40,000 in annual property taxes on its six homes, which provide 12 housing units. Even after paying those taxes, along with insurance, maintenance, repairs and other operating costs, Schiavone says, the “economics remain compelling.”
Each housing unit provides an average annual benefit of about $23,000 to an educator. Across 12 units, that totals roughly $276,000 in compensation value each year, according to Schiavone. Stable housing also reduces turnover, improves recruitment, strengthens educator well-being and creates greater continuity for children and families, she says.
About 13.1 percent of early childhood educators live below the poverty line, a rate six times higher than that of elementary and middle school teachers, reports the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of preschool teachers is projected to grow two percent from 2022 to 2032, slower than the average for all occupations.
These conditions lead to teacher staffing shortages and high turnover rates, which limit the availability of childcare for families, according to the University of California, Berkeley’s Center for the Study of Child Care Employment.
The center began reaching out to the community and philanthropists for donations to turn its idea into a reality. Two neighborhood homes were donated to the center, and four teachers moved into the units with their families in 2021. In 2023, the center partnered with Yale School of Architecture’s Jim Vlock First Year Building Project, a graduate program in which students design and build homes as part of their degree.
The school committed to building five new homes, each of which can accommodate two to four teachers and their families. The new homes, along with one of the donated houses, are located in a “housing village” within walking distance from the center. It is the first such village in the nation focused on early childhood educators. Three of the homes are complete; the fourth will be completed this fall, and the fifth next year.
Educators working at the center who need a place to live can move rent-free into one of these homes, all of which are duplexes.
Eligible participants must earn an annual salary of $38,500 or less for one adult; $64,000 or less for one adult with children; or $79,000 or less for two adults with children. Residents also receive a financial coach to help them set and manage personal financial goals, such as buying a home, purchasing a car or pursuing higher education.
Currently, a dozen staff members live in Friends Center–owned homes. By 2028, the center aims to house 24 teachers, representing about 30 percent of its staff.
Gil moved into one of the Yale-built homes last year. The 25-year-old is enjoying having his own bedroom and bathroom and is now the head teacher for infants and toddlers.
“If it wasn’t for the [housing] program, I don’t know if I would still be here,” Gil says.
Between low salaries and soaring living costs, Gil says it’s difficult for early childhood teachers to save money for basic needs or to plan to start a family. He knows friends from college who want to pursue a similar career path but have to share an apartment with five or six people.
Gil says he’s noticed a difference in his coworkers who live in the teacher housing.
“They can save money and have peace of mind,” he says. “They can go to a house where they feel safe and not have to worry about other expenses.”
The Friends Center’s efforts have inspired housing projects in three other communities.
In Battle Creek, Michigan, housing advocates launched their own version of Friends Center’s First Home, First Teacher initiative to provide housing for 30 percent of the city’s early childhood educators. In June, two teachers moved into the initiative’s first duplex.
In May, Urban Sprouts Childhood Development Center worked with Friends Center to purchase its first pilot home in St. Louis, Missouri.
Last year, the First Presbyterian Church of LaGrange in Georgia launched Groundspring, a program that provides free housing to early childhood education workers at its on-site school.
Schiavone says she feels a mix of emotions when hearing about the different housing projects taking shape.
“How could we allow people who are caring for the youngest version of themselves to get to a place where they feel so unheard, shamed, and undervalued?” she says. “But when you couple that with how profound and impactful [teacher housing] has been and how life-changing it is for this person, there’s this extreme feeling of joy and pride and partnership.”
The post One Way to Keep Childcare Affordable? Give Staff Free Housing appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.
