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Professional Development Supplements - WAGE$

Category

Early Care and Education

Child's Age

0-1 years, 1-2 years, 2-3 years, 3-4 years, 4-5 years

Participant

ECE Owner/Operator, ECE Teachers

Languages

English, Spanish

Brief Description

The Child Care WAGE$ (WAGE$) Program is an education-based salary supplement program for teachers, directors, and family child care providers. Administered by Child Care Services Association (CCSA).

Expected Impact

  • Reduction in staff turnover rate
  • Improved relationships with children and higher quality care

Core Components for Model Fidelity

  • Eligibility: The funding partnership chooses an income cap for eligibility from one of three options: $17, $19, or $23 per hour. Teachers, directors, and family child care educators earning at or below the selected income cap are eligible to participate in WAGE$. Participants must care for children ages birth to 5 years for at least 10 hours per week in a licensed child care program. Their level of education must appear on the Child Care WAGE$® supplement scale. 
  • Compensation: WAGE$ salary supplements are tied to the participant’s level of education and awarded every six months. Supplements are based on the participant’s commitment to their education program.
  • College Education: WAGE$ encourages increased education by providing increased salary supplements.
  • Commitment: Participants are required to work for at least six months in the same child care program and be employed at this same child care program when funding is available and a final confirmation has been completed in order to continue receiving supplements.
  • Counselor: Participants receive support from counselors housed within the WAGE$ agency to ensure ongoing, accurate supplements.

Languages Materials are Available in

English, Spanish

Delivery Mode

WAGE$ supplements are distributed via mailed checks from CCSA.

Dosage

Salary supplements through WAGE$ are awarded every six months.

Staffing Requirements

Staffing is managed by CCSA. There are no staffing requirements for Smart Start Local Partnerships.

Training for Model Fidelity

WAGE$ is operated and managed by CCSA and, as such, there are no training requirements for Smart Start Local Partnerships supporting WAGE$. 

Contact Information

https://www.childcareservices.org/programs/wages/

Allison Miller: Compensation Initiatives Sr. Vice President; 919-967-3272, allisonm@childcareservices.org

Cost Estimates

Varies depending on the tier and income cap selections made by each participating Smart Start Local Partnerships.

Purpose Service Code (PSC)

3107 – WAGE$

Program Identifier (PID)

Professional Development Supplements -WAGE$

Minimal Outputs for NCPC Reporting

FY 24-25:

  • NCPC will collect the data from CCSA and upload the WAGE$ data into Fabrik for the 4th quarter AFTER the 4th quarter deadline.

Minimal Outcomes for NCPC Reporting

FY 24-25:

  • Decrease in staff turnover

Minimal Measures for NCPC Reporting

FY 24-25:

  • Staff turnover calculation

NCPC Evidence Categorization

Evidence Informed- Industry Standard  

Research Summary

Three of the most recent publications on the Child Care WAGE$ Program (WAGE$) include the statewide annual reports produced by Child Care Services Association (CCSA) in 2021,1 2022,2 and 2023.3 These reports sample WAGE$ participants in the given fiscal year and report program findings. Most participants identified as female, worked in four and five star licensed centers or homes, and had an associate’s degree in early childhood education, its equivalent, or higher. Across the three years, about half of participants identified as Black/African American and/or Latinx. WAGE$ participants indicated that the program’s supplements eased their financial stress, encouraged them to stay with their current program, incentivized seeking additional education and/or made pursuing additional coursework more feasible, and allowed them to provide resources for their programs. 

  1. ^ See Child Care Services Association (2021). This report details the outputs and outcomes of the Child Care WAGE$ Program (WAGE$) in the 2021 fiscal year (FY21) running from July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021. WAGE$ is an "education-based salary supplement program for teachers, directors, and family child care providers" (2). Installments are awarded every six months. Eligibility requirements are detailed in the report, including, but not limited to, working at least six months in the same early care and education program, working in a licensed child care program, and working in a county that uses Smart Start funds to support WAGE$. A total of 3,089 child care professionals were active participants in WAGE$ in FY21. The participants identified as female (99%), White (42%) or Black or African American (51%), and not Latinx (96%). About half of participants had 5 or more years' experience in the child care program (56%) and most worked in four and five star licensed centers or homes (88%). Most participants had at least an associate's degree in early childhood education (AAS ECE) or higher or submitted documentation during FY21 verifying their continued education (88%). WAGE$ encourages a diverse population to advance their education, as demonstrated by 82% of participants identifying as a person of color and/or Latinx and 81% of White/European American participants earning their AAS ECE, its equivalent, or higher. Most participants (77%) indicated that they receive an hourly wage of $15 per hour, with half of all participants (50%) reporting a wage of less than $13 an hour. In FY21, the turnover rate for WAGE$ participants was 12%, compared to the statewide turnover rate of 21% captured in pre-pandemic data. Turnover rates were lower for NC Pre-K educators (8%) and more highly educated participants (11% with AAS ECE or higher compared to 17% without AAS ECE). The average six-month payment issued during FY21 was $1,169. In response to WAGE$ surveys, participants indicated that WAGE$ supplements eased their financial stress (98%), encouraged them to stay with their current program (98%), incentivized seeking additional education and/or made pursuing additional coursework more feasible (87%), and allowed them to provide resources for their programs (90%). In FY21, WAGE$ staff conducted 24 outreach sessions to child care professionals to provide information about the program and, as of June 2021, 3,751 applicants received WAGE$ payments.
  2. ^ See Child Care Services Association (2022). This report details the outputs and outcomes of the Child Care WAGE$ Program (WAGE$) in the 2022 fiscal year (FY22) running from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022. A total of 3,089 child care professionals were active participants in WAGE$ in FY21. The participants identified as female (99%), White (42%) or Black or African American (51%), and not Latinx (96%). About half of participants had 5 or more years' experience in the child care program (56%) and most worked in four and five star licensed centers or homes (88%). Most participants had at least an associate's degree in early childhood education (AAS ECE) or higher or submitted documentation during FY22 verifying their continued education (87%). WAGE$ encourages a diverse population to advance their education, as demonstrated by 78% of participants identifying as a person of color and/or Latinx and 79% of White/European American participants earning their AAS ECE, its equivalent, or higher. Most participants (67%) indicated that they receive an hourly wage of $15 per hour, with 41% of participants reporting a wage of less than $13 an hour. In FY22, the turnover rate for WAGE$ participants was 14%, compared to the statewide turnover rate of 21% captured in pre-pandemic data. Turnover rates were lower for more highly educated participants (13% with AAS ECE or higher compared to 19% without AAS ECE). The average six-month payment issued during FY22 was $1,203. In response to WAGE$ surveys, participants indicated that WAGE$ supplements eased their financial stress (98%), encouraged them to stay with their current program (96%), incentivized seeking additional education and/or made pursuing additional coursework more feasible (87%), and allowed them to provide resources for their programs (89%). In FY22, WAGE$ staff conducted 36 outreach sessions to child care professionals to provide information about the program and, as of June 2022, 4,018 applicants received WAGE$ payments.
  3. ^ See Child Care Services Association (2023). This report details the outputs and outcomes of the Child Care WAGE$ Program (WAGE$) in the 2023 fiscal year (FY23) running from July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023. A total of 3,089 child care professionals were active participants in WAGE$ in FY23. The participants identified as female (99%) and most identified as a person of color and/or Latinx (58%). About half of participants had 5 or more years' experience in the child care program (56%) and most worked in four and five star licensed centers or homes (86%). Most participants had at least an associate's degree in early childhood education (AAS ECE) or higher or submitted documentation during FY22 verifying their continued education (88%). WAGE$ encourages a diverse population to advance their education, as demonstrated by 79% of participants identifying as a person of color and/or Latinx and 81% of White/European American participants earning their AAS ECE, its equivalent, or higher. Participant wages varied, with 20% of participants reporting a wage of less than $13 an hour and 49% reporting a wage between $13 to $17. In FY23, the turnover rate for WAGE$ participants was 14%, compared to the statewide turnover rate of 21% captured in pre-pandemic data. Turnover rates were lower for more highly educated participants (13% with AAS ECE or higher compared to 21% without AAS ECE). The average six-month payment issued during FY23 was $1,219. In response to WAGE$ surveys, participants indicated that WAGE$ supplements eased their financial stress (98%), encouraged them to stay with their current program (96%), incentivized seeking additional education and/or made pursuing additional coursework more feasible (87%), and allowed them to provide resources for their programs (90%). In FY23, WAGE$ staff conducted 40 outreach sessions to child care professionals to provide information about the program and, as of June 2022, 4,122 applicants received WAGE$ payments.

Researched Population

  • Early childhood educators, directors, and family child care providers
  • Participants from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds, including participants who identified as a person of color and/or Latinx

Clearinghouse and Compendium References

Committee for Economic Development: Clearinghouse of Resources

 

Child Care Services Association. (2021). Child Care WAGE$® Program Statewide Final Report Fiscal Year 2021. https://www.childcareservices.org/wp-content/uploads/CCSA_WAGE_STATE_2021_Final_Full-Report.pdf

Child Care Services Association. (2022). Child Care WAGE$® Program Statewide Final Report Fiscal Year 2022. https://www.childcareservices.org/wp-content/uploads/StatewideFY22.pdf

Child Care Services Association. (2023). Child Care WAGE$® Program Statewide Final Report Fiscal Year 2023. https://www.childcareservices.org/wp-content/uploads/State_FY23_FullReport.pdf



Local Partnerships Currently Implementing

Local Partnerships in purple have adopted Professional Development Supplements - WAGE$. Local Partnership contact information can be found here.