Contact: Tawana Jacobs│tjacobs@dckids.org│301-325-8687
Extend The Early Childhood Educator Taskforce’s Timeline
With More Time, the District Will Create a Sustainable and Equitable Early Childhood System
January 3, 2022—Tomorrow, the DC Council will vote on emergency legislation to extend the timeline for the Early Childhood Educator Compensation Task Force to complete its work to immediately increase teacher pay and overhaul the District’s compensation system.
Under 3 DC Director Ruqiyyah Anbar-Shaheen is releasing the following statement about this crucial DC Council vote:
“The District is on the cusp of creating real change for early childhood educators this year with the work of the DC Council-supported Early Childhood Educator Equitable Compensation Task Force. Since this past October, the group has been working diligently to develop critical systemic recommendations, but they need more time. The DC Council will vote tomorrow on emergency legislation to extend the life of the Task Force until April 15, 2022.
We hope the Council approves Chairman Mendelson’s emergency legislation.
This additional time will allow the Task Force to consider the components and implications of permanent approaches to early educator compensation increases more thoroughly. Designing a new workforce program is a great responsibility with the potential to impact thousands of teachers, their families, and the children they care for and educate. Additional time will allow the Task Force to make the best-informed and most equitable recommendations it can for a permanent program to launch in the District’s 2023 fiscal year.
We understand and expect the Task Force to make its recommendations for short-term early educator pay increases – to be made this fiscal year – by January 15. Concluding this work this month is necessary so that teachers can begin seeing boosts to their pay as soon as possible.”
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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.
