Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund: Information for Facility Leaders and Staff

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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 accepting applications from child care providers to participate in fiscal year 2025 (FY25) Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund.

Child care providers who do not currently participate in the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund should follow the steps in this guide to complete the application process. The deadline to submit an application to be eligible to receive funds in quarter one of FY25 is 5 p.m. on Sept. 15, 2024.

Child care providers who currently participate in the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund do not need to submit a new application to continue their participation in FY25. OSSE sent providers who opted into the program in FY24 instructions for how to continue participation in FY25.

Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25)

Dates to Know

FY25 Early Childhood Pay Equity Timelines

The table above provides key dates for the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund for FY25. Child care providers who are applying to participate in the program should be diligent about the deadlines to submit an application and complete a provider agreement.

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).

Funding Formula and Minimum Salaries
OSSE has not yet issued policies or guidance regarding the funding formula and required minimum salaries for the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund for FY25. The FY25 Budget Support Act of 2024 directs the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Task Force to submit a report to the Mayor and DC Council by Sept. 30, 2024, that makes “recommendations for limiting fiscal pressures on the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity program through Fiscal Year 2028,” including potential changes to the minimum salaries and funding formula for FY25 and future fiscal years. Following delivery of the task force’s final report, and any legislative action taken by DC Council in response to that report, OSSE will share additional guidance with child development providers participating in the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund regarding minimum salaries and funding formula allocations for FY25. OSSE will monitor child care provider compliance with minimum salaries and distribute quarterly payments to child care providers participating in the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund in FY25 in accordance with DC law as in effect at the time of each quarterly payment.

Resources for Child Care Providers

Application Resources

How to Apply to Participate in the FY25 Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund: Instructions for New Providers (Español | Amharic)

Provider Agreement

Fiscal Year 2024

Dates to Know

Funding Formula
The child development facility (CDF) Payroll Funding Formula details how OSSE determines the payment amount a child care provider that chooses to participate in the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund receives each quarter. The FY24 CDF Payroll Funding Formula is available here (Español | Amharic). For FY24, the CDF Payroll Funding Formula included a temporary formula increase to support child development facilities as the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund transitioned from distributing supplemental payments directly to early childhood educators to distributing CDF payroll funding formula award payments to child care providers who have entered into an Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund Provider Agreement with OSSE.

Minimum Salaries and Salary Schedule
Child care providers that receive funds must ensure that all teachers and assistant teachers (as defined by the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund statute) are paid regular wages or salaries, by role and credential, that meet or exceed the minimum salaries established by OSSE. Child development providers that participate in the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund must meet or exceed the minimum salaries for all eligible early educators unless the provider has a waiver of minimum salary requirements approved by OSSE. Information on the FY24 Minimum Salaries is available here (Español | Amharic).