What we know about salaries and compensation in San Francisco Federation area ECJE programs:

• The average beginning salary for a qualified preschool teacher in Jewish preschools is between $14.00 and $18.00 per hour. Teachers who have been in their school for over ten years often do not exceed $21.00 per hour, and many are under $20.00 per hour. At $17.00 per hour a teacher in San Francisco grosses just over $20,000 for the school year; adding a summer position would bring it to about $25,000. Hardly a professional salary considering the high costs of living in the Bay Area.

• Most teachers have some benefits, ranging from vacation and sick days in some schools, to partial to full health, dental, child care, retirement and health club benefits in other schools. *There are several schools that provide no benefit package *

• Directors salaries vary between $20,000 and $90,000 with two thirds of the directors earning $60,00 or more. • The beginning salary in a publicly financed “school year” preschool is $31,000, according to Teach for America. • The average beginning salary at a Jewish day school is $41,000 per school year.

• Given the high cost of tuition at our Jewish Community preschools, ranging from $10,000 to $16,000 in 2006, increasing the tuition significantly presents challenges. Our aim is to raise teacher compensation, while at the same time keeping Early Childhood Jewish Education within reach of families in our areas.