Most days after Terriell Ballom finishes teaching toddlers at Wilcox Early Learning Center in New Orleans, she heads to Aldi to bag groceries.
She is one of many New Orleans preschool teachers forced to work second jobs or rely on public assistance due to low pay, according to a new study by Agenda for Children, a nonprofit advocacy group, and researchers at Tulane University.
Early childhood educators in New Orleans earn just $13.28 per hour on average, according to the report, which cited data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nearly 1 in 5 of the educators reported looking for a second job to supplement their income, according to the study…