https://www.fcd-us.org/early-educator-investment-collaborative-awards-new-grantees-to-address-unjust-compensation-for-early-childhood-education-workforce/
Foundation for Child Development Grants in Action
As a member of the Early Educator Investment Collaborative (The Collaborative), we are proud to share that the The Collaborative recently announced $9M in grants to support public systems innovations in increasing wages and benefits for the early care and education (ECE) workforce. Colorado Department of Early Childhood, the District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education, and Louisiana Policy Institute for Children will work with state and local partners to explore unique approaches to boost early educator compensation.
“With the end of the American Rescue Plan’s emergency childcare funding on September 30th, it’s more important than ever to find innovative approaches to bring early educators the professional-level compensation they deserve and that reflects their critical knowledge and skills,” said Director of The Collaborative, Dr. Ola J. Friday. “These grants support state and local government agencies working to implement durable, sustainable ways to raise early educator compensation, which we know leads directly to better learning outcomes for children.”
Inadequate compensation and benefits continue to plague the ECE workforce, with compensation for early educators remaining low and far behind other occupations with similar credentials. Compared with their K-8 colleagues, early educators face poverty rates an average of 7.7 times higher. This is especially troubling when the ECE workforce is made up disproportionately of women of color.
The Collaborative selected organizations that demonstrated systemic, innovative, and equitable solutions for the ECE workforce and the families and communities they serve.
Read The Collaborative’s Press Release
These grants will support partnerships between fiscal agencies and program departments to catalyze transformative change in ECE workforce compensation. The grantees will focus on innovations in financial systems, including new dedicated revenue streams and revamped spending, enhanced data collection and modeling to inform policy, and greater collaboration between agencies in support of improving workforce compensation.