In 2022, the San Francisco Office of Early Care and Education (now the Department of Early Childhood, which was created later that year) announced the Early Educator Salary Support Grant (EESSG) program, investing up to $60 million annually to increase pay and benefits for San Francisco’s city-funded early educators.
The EESSG program is funded by “Baby” Proposition C, a commercial rent tax approved by voters in 2018. It works in tandem with the city’s Compensation and Retention for Early Educators Stipend (CARES 3.0) program, which uses “Baby” Proposition C funds to provide cash stipends to early childhood educators working in licensed family child care homes and center-based programs.
EESSG provides grants to early care and education agencies across the city that serve at least fifty percent subsidy-eligible children (designated as Green Tier programs). Agency administrators then distribute funds to eligible educators via payroll, increasing their salaries to a minimum of $28 per hour with the potential to earn up to $39.27 per hour, depending on education and qualifications. Educators in Green Tier center-based programs that participate in Early Learning for All—a city-wide network of early education programs—who are involved in direct classroom teaching activities for at least 50% of their scheduled hours are eligible to receive support through EESSG. Individuals in other early education-related positions that provide direct support to children, families, or teachers—like home visitors, behavioral therapists, and inclusion specialists—are also eligible.
Funding amounts are based on a combination of educators’ position/title, permit level, education, and full- or part-time status.
Sources:
San Francisco Department of Early Childhood. (n.d.). Early Educator Salary Support Grant.
San Francisco Human Services Agency. (2022, April 28). City Announces Landmark Pay Raise Initiative for Early Educators in City-Funded Programs.
Connections to Key Early Learning Study at Harvard (ELS@H) Findings:
The early education workforce is the foundation upon which all daily work and any expansion and quality improvement efforts rest. Research suggests that states and cities should invest in the workforce across all early education setting types, focusing on enhancing educators’ professional learning, compensation, and workplace conditions.
Findings from the Early Learning Study at Harvard (ELS@H) show:
- Early educators play a critical role in supporting the well-being of young children and families across setting types.
- Yet their pay, benefits, and other professional supports are often inadequate in light of the job demands and their cost of living.