In this brief, we present information on the demographic characteristics, qualifications, and compensation of infant-toddler teachers working in US child care centers. We use data from the 2019 National Survey of Early Care and Education to describe this understudied sector of the early childhood workforce. We also descriptively compare infant-toddler teachers with preschool teachers working in child care centers and with home-based child care providers caring for children younger than age 3.

We find that, compared with the US adult population in 2019, infant-toddler teachers were more racially and ethnicity diverse; they are more likely to be Black or Hispanic/Latino and less likely to be White, and 30 percent speak a language other than English. Educational attainment varied widely, with nearly half (47 percent) holding a postsecondary degree and a large percentage having earned some college credits but not a degree (34 percent). Center-based teachers working exclusively with children younger than age 3 earned a median hourly wage of $11—about 11 percent less than preschool teachers in centers. Only 25 percent of infant-toddler teachers with a bachelor’s degree earned at least $15 an hour. Among the respondents, very few reported having health insurance coverage, and nearly 20 percent of infant-toddler teachers working exclusively with that age group reported receiving some form of government assistance.