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Click here for more information on the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund.
Click here for information related to FY24
About the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund
The District values early childhood educators and wants their pay to reflect their hard work in support of young children and families.
The Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund supports child care providers to increase compensation for their staff. By participating in the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund, child care programs can offer competitive wages to recruit and retain qualified staff and support early childhood educators to build bigger, brighter futures.
To receive Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Funds, a child care provider must:
- Operate a facility or facilities licensed by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE);
- Agree to pay eligible early childhood educators, by position and degree, salaries that meet or exceed the minimum salaries established by OSSE; and
- Complete the application and agreement process designated by OSSE to participate in the program.
Child care providers who participate in the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund receive quarterly award payments calculated using a funding formula established by OSSE. After a provider receives their first quarterly award payment from OSSE, they must pay eligible early childhood educators wages or salaries that meet or exceed the required minimum salaries, unless they have an approved waiver.
The Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund is authorized by the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund Establishment Act of 2021 (DC Law 24-45; DC Official Code § 1-325.431) and implemented by OSSE in accordance with the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Support Act of 2024. (D.C. Act 25-506, § 4083(b), 71 DCR 8406.) The Early Childhood Educator Equitable Compensation Task Force, established pursuant to DC Official Code § 38-2242.
How to Participate
OSSE is currently not accepting new child care providers to the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund.
OSSE activated a waiting list for the program on April 1, 2025 and it will remain in effect until further notice. New child care providers may submit an application to participate in the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund to be added to the waiting list New child care providers should contact [email protected] if they are interested in completing the application.
The establishment of a waiting list does not impact child care providers already participating in the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund.
Where to Get Support
For questions related to the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund, email [email protected].
Facility leaders can sign up for a 30-minute appointment with the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund team using this link. Virtual office hours are offered from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Wednesdays and 1-3 p.m. on Thursdays.
Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26)
Dates to Know
The table above provides key dates for the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund for FY26.
Child care providers who are participating in the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund should be mindful of the deadline to review and update staff records in the Division of Early Learning Licensing Tool (DELLT) for each quarter. It is important that staff records are up to date because award payments are calculated using information from DELLT and the child care subsidy program. The deadlines to update staff records in DELLT are the deadlines for providers to upload supporting documentation and make updates, as necessary, to staff records. These are not deadlines for staff records to be approved by OSSE. Following each quarterly deadline, assigned licensing specialists will review newly uploaded documentation and other updates to staff records for approval. More information on how to update staff records in DELLT is available here (Español | Amharic).
Resources for Child Care Providers
Provider Agreement