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

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Click here for more information on the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund.

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.

In fiscal year 2022 (FY22) and FY23, more than $80 million was disbursed to more than 4,000 DC early childhood educators through the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund. Starting in FY24, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) ceased making direct payments to early childhood educators through AidKit and began distributing funds to child development facilities through a child development facility (CDF) payroll funding formula.

To receive a CDF payroll funding formula award, a facility must be licensed by OSSE, agree to pay eligible early childhood educators, by role (e.g., staff type) and highest credential, salaries that meet or exceed the minimum salaries established by OSSE and complete the process required to opt-in to the program. Child development facilities are not required to participate in the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund, but it is highly encouraged.

Facilities that opt-in to the program will receive quarterly payments calculated using the CDF payroll funding formula (see Dates to Know for important quarterly deadlines). After they receive their first quarterly CDF payroll funding formula award from OSSE, facilities are required to pay eligible early childhood educators wages or salaries that meet or exceed the minimum salaries set by OSSE, unless they have an approved waiver.

By participating in the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund, child development facilities can offer competitive wages to recruit and retain qualified staff and support early childhood educators to build bigger, brighter futures.

How to Participate

The opt-in process for FY24 of the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund has closed. OSSE will share more information about the opt-in process for future fiscal years of the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund when it is available.

Child development facilities that are already participating in the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund will continue to receive FY24 payments.

Dates to Know

Child development facilities should be diligent of the deadline to review and update staff records in DELLT for each quarter. It is important that facilities ensure staff records are up to date because award payments are calculated using information from DELLT and the child care subsidy program. The deadlines above are for facilities to upload supporting documentation and make updates, as necessary, to staff records. These are not deadlines for staff records to be approved. 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).

CDF Payroll Funding Formula

The CDF Payroll Funding Formula details how OSSE will determine the payment amount a child development facility that chooses to participate in the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund will receive. The FY24 CDF Payroll Funding Formula is available here (Español | Amharic). For FY24, the CDF Payroll Funding Formula includes a temporary formula increase to support child development facilities as the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund transitions from supplemental payments distributed directly to early childhood educators by AidKit to CDF payroll funding award payments distributed to child care providers by OSSE. OSSE will update the funding formula for future years based on the minimum salaries, funding available, stakeholder input and analysis of data from prior years of program implementation.

Minimum Salaries and Salary Schedule for Early Childhood Educators

Child development facilities that receive funds must ensure that all teachers, assistant teachers, Montessori teachers, Montessori assistant teachers, Pre-K Enhancement and Expansion Program (PKEEP) assistant teachers, home caregivers, expanded home caregivers and associate home caregivers are paid at levels that meet or exceed the minimum salaries by role and highest credential as documented in DELLT and approved by OSSE, unless they have an approved waiver. Consistent with the requirements of the Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Support Act of 2022, OSSE updates required minimum salaries on an annual basis and also publishes an optional recommended early childhood educator salary schedule for child development programs. Child development facilities that participate in the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund must follow the minimum salaries but are not required to pay staff based on the full recommended salary scale. The FY24 Minimum Salaries and Salary Schedule is available here (Español | Amharic) and details the minimum salaries that child development facilities that participate in FY24 of the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund will be required to pay staff, by role and highest credential.