More early childhood educators in child care centers had four-year college degrees 20 years ago than today, according to a study released this week by the Harrisburg-based Keystone Research Center.

The percentage declined both in Pennsylvania and the nation although Pennsylvania's child care centers still have more college-educated early childhood educators on average than the nationwide count.

Of directors, teachers, assistant teachers and aides in Pennsylvania, the percentage with four-year degrees dropped from 40 percent in the early 1980s to about 27 percent today. Nationwide, it fell from 27 percent to 18 percent.

Mark Price, a center economist and co-author of the report, said the Northeast as a region is better off than the rest of the country but he doesn't know why.

The number of college-educated workers is even lower in home-based child care where about 14 percent in Pennsylvania and 11 percent nationwide have college degrees. No trend information was available.

The study states a main reason is low pay and a lack of benefits. The median pay for a full-time worker is about $8.50 an hour nationwide and $8.40 an hour in Pennsylvania.

The trend is no surprise to early education leaders in Pittsburgh.

"I've watched the salaries not improve," said Roberta Schomburg, director of graduate studies in early childhood and director of the education school at Carlow University. "I was making more [than $8 an hour] in a pre-K program in 1972 in Massachusetts."

The lack of a highly educated workforce in child care centers and homes makes a difference, said Schomburg.

"All of the research is very clear that the higher the degree, the better quality of care is being provided in our child care programs," said Schomburg. "I think it is cause for concern."

Sherry Cleary, president of the Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children, director of the Child Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh and assistant professor of education at Pitt, said, "I think the real dilemma is we're just not taking good care of our early childhood people and so they're going to go elsewhere. As a society, we're still not valuing the years of 0 through 5."

Some qualified workers have left child care centers for higher pay offered by school districts expanding programs for 4-year-olds.

McCleary said many child care workers are "well-intentioned" but the children "deserve well-trained teachers. The society loses when we don't invest in this age group."

Unless the trend is reversed, she said, fewer people will enter the field "because the word on the street is you can't make any money."

Cleary said most of the staff at Pitt's center is college-educated and all have some college, but she said Pitt pays most above the median and offers health care, pension and tuition benefits.

Price said, "What Pennsylvania needs is a comprehensive approach to assuring quality in early childhood education programs. That means phasing in higher standards for staff and raising compensation so that [early childhood education] can hold onto more qualified teachers.

"The state also should encourage new research that will expand our understanding of the impact of teacher qualifications and alternative training approaches."

The state and national reports were written by Keystone Research Center, which focuses on combining research and policy proposals and is a collaboration of individuals from academia, labor, religious and business organizations.

The reports were released by the center, the Economic Policy Institute, a research organization based in Washington, D.C., and the Foundation for Child Development, which provided funds, is based in New York and promotes the well-being of children.