Crystal, I'll answer as a parent....

I would appreciate my child having a teacher that has taken the measures to obtain a higher education. In fact, I appreciate anyone who takes their time to advance themselves with ongoing education and I think they should be rewarded for their time, dedication, and work. Why so you ask? Because while a higher education may not be necessary to perform most jobs, it shows that a person has gone an extra step and actually worked towards learning more about their chosen field (presumably prior to jumping into it) rather than "on the job training" (equates to trial and error). For me, obtaining a degree shows that a person is interested in learning all facets of childcare rather than the basics that any human that has been around children could pick up on. Obtaining a college education shows me that a person is driven, teachable, sets goals for themselves and consequently will have expectations for children in their care, dedicated and open to new ideas which may mean better care for my child. I'm not saying that spending 2-4+ years in school means that a person walks out as an expert. Certainly education and experience would be the best combo.

This is a good question: throughout the US, how many states require their primary school educators to hold a degree? I haven't researched but I'd like to know and will look into it. If we're expecting our children's educators to hold degrees, why wouldn't we want the same for when they are infants/toddlers?

Here's my theory on people who have experience and no education: first, let me place a disclaimer: my following statement is not my experience with childcare providers since I do not work in childcare, but rather my experience as a professional in finance. Based on MY OWN experience with people who have countless years in a field but no education, those people tend to believe and outwardly exude that they know everything there is to know about their profession over anybody else. In my experience, these types of people also often times make jest at someone who has a degree.