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• The typical director of a single early childhood center in North America earns $35,000 a year.

• A lead teacher in an early childhood center in North America has an average income of $23,000 a year.

• A teacher aide in North America earns on average less than $17,000 a year.

These are a few of the findings from a recent Exchange Insta-Poll on Early Childhood Wages in North America. This survey was conducted on the Exchange web site, www.ChildCareExchange.com, from April 14 - 30, 2004. Over 900 early childhood professionals from 50 states, the District of Columbia, and 10 Canadian provinces provided input on this survey.

Regional Differences

Table I presents an overview of the findings of this survey. As you can see, there are considerable differences between regions of North America. For example, a director in New England typically earns 14% more than a director in the South; a lead teacher in the West typically ...