Stephanie Weathermon has a passion for teaching young San Antonians.
To the San Antonio Independent School District Head Start teacher, early childhood education sets the foundation for the way children will learn for the rest of their lives.
“It’s learning through play and making sure that it’s fun for them,” she said. “And I think it’s really important, because I don’t remember having that when I was younger.”
But the expertise and care Weathermon has brought to the classroom over the last five years brought financial challenges. Without the benefit of two incomes that comes from being married, Weathermon said she wouldn’t be able to afford to teach.
“In the small campus where I work, we have … multiple teachers that have to work two jobs,” she said. “And it’s not just a 7 to 3 o’clock job. We’re working after hours, we’re working on weekends, we’re working during my lunch break, during my conference time, making sure that things get done.”
Texas has more early childhood education professionals than any other state, yet wages have remained stagnant for years at just over $11 an hour, culminating in a staffing shortage and resulting in a lack of availability that’s hurting the economy and hindering school readiness, according to advocates and state data. Universities, advocates and both private and public institutions are working to professionalize the industry in San Antonio and in turn raise both wages and quality of care.
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