At 3pm on Wednesday I will pick my child up from day care enabling her educators to walk out on the job, and I don't mind one bit. I will be walking with them because I value and respect them.

I am a teacher, a highly qualified professional who works because I love my job, not because I get paid a lot. However, I consider myself lucky because even though I get paid a pittance, it is a lot more than an early childhood educator. In fact they earn one third of a teacher's wage.

So, do they do less work than me then? Let's see. They work an 8-10 hour day and are responsible for between four and 10 children with high physical and emotional needs. I have 30 children sitting quietly behind a desk. Educators clean up vomit, poo and snot. You couldn't pay me enough an hour to do that, let alone $20! They have to plan, implement and evaluate individual programs for each child. They are also highly skilled professionals; all have a minimum Certificate 3 level of qualification, often undertaken at their own expense. Many have higher qualifications and I consider them experts in their field, like I am in mine.

They have to follow new National Quality Standards introduced by the government and are accountable for its adoption. Recently one of them spent time with me offering advice on toilet training for my child. Yesterday I spent time with a parent advising them on what books their child should read.