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A Cross-National, Historical Analysis of Early Childhood Worker Conditions across North America and Europe

Author

Listed:
  • Viren de Jeu

    (The University of Chicago Center for the Economics of Human Development)

Abstract

This paper examines how ECW pay, benefits, child-to-worker ratios, and education requirements in the U.S. compare to those in Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and Canada. It also tracks these measures over time in the U.S., beginning in 1934, when the federal government funded an emergency nursery school system to combat the great depression. Median salary data for ECWs and comparable occupations were collected and annualized using national workweek standards, equated to U.S. dollars using PPP conversion factors, and adjusted to 2025 figures using the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI). In the U.S., Early Childhood Worker purchasing power varied over time, peaking in 1977. Although ECW pay in the U.S. has increased over the past 30 years, early childhood workers in the U.S. still experience the lowest absolute and relative pay among all nations studied. Moreover, in the U.S., childcare workers require the lowest level of education and face the highest child-to-worker ratios.

Suggested Citation

  • Viren de Jeu, 2026. "A Cross-National, Historical Analysis of Early Childhood Worker Conditions across North America and Europe," Working Papers 2026-013, Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Working Group.
    • Handle: RePEc:hka:wpaper:2026-013
    Note: ECI
    as

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    File URL: http://humcap.uchicago.edu/RePEc/hka/wpaper/deJeu_2026_cross-national-historical-early-child-work.pdf
    File Function: First version, September 14, 2026
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • J30 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - General
    • I00 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - General - - - General
    • N30 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - General, International, or Comparative

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