Over the past six years Kylie Grey's salary has increased by just $4 an hour, which she says can't even buy a cup of coffee.
The early childhood education worker will walk off the job on Thursday with thousands of others across the country to demand higher wages.
It will be the biggest early education walk-off in Australian history and will impact about 10,000 families.
The mother of three says she may have to leave the industry if her salary doesn't increase as she can't afford the cost of living.
"How can we - when we have qualifications such as certificates and diplomas and bachelors - live off $21 an hour?" she told reporters on Sunday.
At 3.20 pm on Thursday childcare workers will leave work - the time they say they start working for free because of low wages.
United Voice union assistant national secretary Helen Gibbons said the sectors' low wages stemmed from the profession being seen as women's work, and that they did for the love of it alone.
"Prime minister, love does not pay the bills, it does not pay your mortgage or your energy bills," she said.
She said an application for a 35 per cent increase was with the Fair Work Commission.
Ms Gibbons said about 180 workers left the industry each week as they could no longer afford to work in the profession.
It's the sector's second walk-off this year, after action in March failed to influence the federal budget.
"They (politicians) could fix this tomorrow if they had the political will," Ms Gibbons said.
"Educators are not going to give up."
