Protecting DC’s Early Educators: A Call for Fair and Equitable Pay

DC’s early childhood professionals are once again facing an urgent challenge. The Pay Equity Fund, established to ensure fair and professional compensation for early educators, was not fully funded for the current fiscal year. As a result, the DC Council is now considering legislation that could create deep pay gaps within our workforce.

If enacted as proposed, some lead teachers could experience pay reductions nearly three times higher than others, undermining the stability of early learning programs and the progress our city has made toward building a fair compensation system for educators.

DCAEYC joins its partners across the early childhood field in calling on the Mayor and DC Council to act now. Full funding for the Pay Equity Fund must be secured this fall. If reductions are unavoidable, they must be shared evenly, with no educator facing more than a 5% cut.

Fair pay for early educators means stability for children, families, and communities. We urge all members of DC’s early learning community to take two minutes to make their voices heard and stand up for equity.

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Together, we can protect the progress we’ve achieved and ensure that DC continues to lead the nation in valuing and supporting its early childhood workforce.