Hiring is the question every director we talk to raises first. Here's what the federal data shows about the child care workforce in 2026, and what it means for Oregon centers.
Jobs are back above 2020, but slipping
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts employment at child day care businesses every month. The sector had 1,048,600 jobs in February 2020, fell to 676,600 in April 2020, and has since recovered past its old level: 1,102,100 in January 2026 and 1,088,200 in August (the last two months are preliminary and will be revised).1
Two things are true at once. Child care has more jobs than before the pandemic. But it has grown a little more slowly than the economy overall, and after peaking in January it has drifted down, with small gains in April and June not making up the losses. For a center, that looks like the same thing it has looked like for years: open positions that take a long time to fill.
Pay is still near the bottom of the scale
| Occupation (May 2025) | U.S. median hourly | Oregon median hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Childcare workers | $16.82 | $18.58 |
| Preschool teachers (except special education) | $18.34 | $21.70 |
| Preschool and child care center directors | $28.51 | — |
| All occupations | $24.51 | $27.40 |
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, released May 15, 2026.23
A child care worker earning the national median makes about $35,000 a year working full time. In Oregon, the median childcare worker earns $18.58 an hour; the state's standard minimum wage, which covers Lane County, has been $15.55 since July 1, 2026 ($16.80 in the Portland metro area).34 Those two figures come from different years, but the gap is narrow either way. For many applicants, the alternative to your center is a job at a similar wage with far less responsibility.
What educators say
NAEYC surveyed more than 7,000 early childhood educators in January 2026. Among the findings:5
- 22% said they were considering leaving the field in the next year. More than half of that group said better wages and benefits, overtime pay, support from colleagues and administrators, or student loan forgiveness would make them very or extremely likely to stay.
- Nearly half reported more burnout than before.
- Costs are rising fast: 68% saw liability insurance go up (46% the year before), 66% saw property insurance go up, and 44% saw rent or lease costs go up.
- Close to half said their program wasn't enrolled at its preferred capacity, most often because of affordability for families and staffing.
The last point is the one that connects staffing to money. A room you can't staff is a room you can't fill, and a room you can't fill doesn't pay for the teacher you're trying to hire.
Policy changes to watch
In May, the federal Administration for Children and Families proposed removing the wage and benefit requirements that a 2024 rule placed on Head Start programs; comments closed June 11, and as of this writing we haven't seen a final rule.6 A second, broader Head Start proposal published August 7 is open for comment until October 6, 2026.7 Head Start is its own system, but it competes with centers for the same teachers, so its pay rules affect your hiring too.
Some states are paying retention bonuses directly. Pennsylvania's 2026–27 budget, for example, funds another round of bonuses for child care staff.8
What directors can control
- Benchmark your pay against the Oregon medians above and against local retail and food service wages, not other centers alone.
- Ask why people stay, not only why they leave. NAEYC's respondents named support from administrators alongside pay.
- Protect planning and break time in the schedule. Burnout shows up in the ratio sheet before it shows up in a resignation letter.
- Cut the paperwork that doesn't need a teacher. Every minute spent retyping a sign-in sheet is a minute not spent with children.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Current Employment Statistics, series CES6562440001 (child day care services, all employees, seasonally adjusted), and CES0000000001 (total nonfarm), retrieved September 16, 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2025, Table 1, released May 15, 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Oregon, May 2025 (retrieved through the BLS Public Data API).
- Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries. Oregon minimum wage.
- NAEYC. Survey: Child Care Affordability Crisis Deepening for Educators and Families, February 24, 2026.
- Federal Register. Restoring Flexibility To Support Head Start Program Access (proposed rule), May 12, 2026.
- Federal Register. Reducing Federal Burden for Head Start Programs (proposed rule), August 7, 2026.
- Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. 2026–27 budget increase for child care bonuses, September 14, 2026.
Sources last read September 16, 2026.