Stanford’s RAPID Survey finds 58% of early care and education providers reported food insecurity in June using the USDA six-question module. After holding around 20–30% from 2021 to early 2024, rates surged sharply. Low median pay ($13.07/hr), heavy reliance on public benefits (about 43% of workers), and grocery prices up nearly 30% since Feb 2020 have forced many providers to skip meals and cut nutritious options—hurting both staff and the children they care for.
58% of Early Childhood Educators Report Food Insecurity as Costs Surge
New data from Stanford’s RAPID Survey Project show a sharp rise in food insecurity among early care and education providers, with 58% reporting they experienced food-related hardship in June. The findings paint a worrying picture for a workforce already earning low wages and relying heavily on public benefits.
How the Survey Measured Hunger
RAPID used the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s validated six-question food security module to assess household food insecurity. The module asks about whether food bought didn’t last, inability to afford balanced meals, cutting or skipping meals because of lack of money (and frequency), eating less than felt necessary, and being hungry but not eating due to lack of funds.
Trends and Causes
Stanford has tracked provider food insecurity for four years. Rates were relatively steady—roughly 20–30%—from summer 2021 through early 2024, then climbed sharply to the June figure. Phil Fisher, director of the Stanford Center on Early Childhood, called the baseline rates “unacceptable” and the recent spike both “alarming” and “concerning.”
Several structural pressures help explain the rise. Early educators earn a median wage of $13.07 per hour, placing them among the lowest-paid U.S. professions. An estimated 43% of the workforce depends on public benefits such as Medicaid and SNAP (food stamps). With grocery prices up nearly 30% since February 2020, many providers are now forced to choose between paying bills and buying food.
Real Consequences for Providers and Children
“It’s hard for families earning minimum wage to cover their basic needs—housing, child care and food,” said Isabel Blair, a Michigan home-based provider who recently closed her program.
Survey respondents described skipping meals, reducing portion sizes, and substituting fresh produce and proteins with cheaper, less nutritious options. Providers often buy food not only for themselves but also for the children in their care, so household hardships commonly translate into reduced quality or variety of meals offered to children.
Policy and Market Pressures
Researchers and advocates note that broader market and policy factors add pressure: higher food costs driven in part by trade policies and supply-chain shifts, and intermittent disruptions to nutrition assistance programs (such as temporary SNAP interruptions) that leave recipients without benefits. RAPID researchers are continuing to analyze data from recent periods to better understand these effects.
Why It Matters
Cristi Carman, director of the RAPID Survey Project, said that when caregivers are hungry or worried about feeding their families, their ability to provide attentive, high-quality care is compromised. “Those are not humane circumstances for people in any role, especially those caring for the youngest children,” she said.
The report underscores an urgent policy question: how to better support the early care and education workforce so they—and the children they serve—do not go hungry as the cost of living rises.
