Contact: tjacobs@dckids.org | 301-325-8687
Today’s vote shapes the Early Educator Equitable Compensation Task Force
August 10, 2021—The District’s budget season is officially over with today’s DC Council vote to approve the 2022 fiscal year budget unanimously, including over $70 million – at full implementation – for early educator compensation. The only changes made since last week’s vote were to the newly-established Early Educator Equitable Compensation Task Force, which will shape the plan to increase the pay and benefits of early educators. Specifically, the budget:
- explicitly includes operators of home-based child development facilities and educators of child development facilities on the list of Task Force members
- eliminates the minimum number of times the Task Force must meet and the requirement that the Task Force assess the overall readiness of child development providers to implement a competitive employee compensation scale
- requires that the Task Force’s report address equitability, budget, and accountability considerations.
Under 3 Coalition Director Ruqiyyah Anbar-Shaheen said, “We are excited to see this task force take shape and move us closer to formalizing compensation increases for early childhood teachers who have been waiting far too long. They have continued to serve families during this seemingly never-ending pandemic and deserve fair compensation for the specialized work they do every day.”
###
Under 3 DC harnesses the voices and power of the District’s parents with young children, early educators, and community-based organizations to shine a spotlight on the need for more public investments in early education and health programs for infants and toddlers. Together, we can set the District of Columbia on a path to creating and sustaining a high-quality, equitable early childhood system.
