we need to get ready for the tea party. reporter: the nonprofit staff has shrunk 30%. employees can earn a lot more money working anywhere other than child care. reporter: across the country, more than 10% of child care workers have left the industry during the pandemic, driven out by closures and furloughs early on, and now wage competition. nationwide, the average child care worker makes just over $12 an hour, far less than k-12 teachers. and in this competitive hiring market, other industries are raising wages to attract workers. this developmental time for children is most critical developmental time in the human life cycle. and yet we re competing against other minimum wage jobs. reporter: the american rescue plan passed by congress in march spent billions to keep the child care industry afloat. it helped nurture raise wages a dollar an hour, but martin ramos, a teacher here, works a second job at home depot. i been living check by check