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Click here for more information on the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund.
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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. Child care providers should reference the “Dates to Know” below for important application deadlines.
Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25)
Dates to Know
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
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. OSSE updated the CDF payroll funding formula in November 2024 based on the recommendations of the Early Childhood Educator Equitable Compensation Task Force. The updated CDF payroll funding formula is available here (Español | Amharic).
Minimum Salaries
Child care providers that receive funds must ensure that all eligible early educators are paid wages or salaries, by role and credential, that meet or exceed the minimum salaries established by OSSE unless they have a waiver approved by OSSE. Child care providers are not prohibited from paying more than the minimum salaries.
The minimum salaries for FY25 are available here (Español | Amharic). The minimum salaries for FY25 were established by the DC Council in the Early Childhood Educator Pay Scales Emergency Amendment Act of 2024 based on the recommendations of the Early Childhood Educator Equitable Compensation Task Force.
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
- Sample FY25 Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund Provider Agreement (Español | Amharic)
- Notice of Modification to the FY24 Provider Agreement for Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund (Español | Amharic)
Waiver Policy and Application
- Waiver Policy for FY25 (Español | Amharic)
- Waiver Application FY25
- Sample application (Español | Amharic)
Guides