Child Care WAGE$ Iowa provides supplemental pay to early childhood educators based on their education level, quality rating level, and commitment to their early education program. WAGE$ is designed to retain and support the professional development of early education professionals; in turn, this creates a more stable workforce with the skills needed to support young children's healthy learning and development. Bonuses range from $525 to $9,200 per educator per year, with an average annual payment of $2,462. Amounts increase as educators obtain more formal education, and educators must remain in their early education program for at least six months to qualify for an award. In FY22, Child Care WAGE$ Iowa provided supplements to 1,341 educators in 585 programs. Turnover among recipients was only 8%, much lower than the estimated 26-40% turnover rate among educators in licensed child care programs nationwide. This program is part of the national Child Care WAGE$ Program. After initially launching in select counties, it is now available statewide. The Child Care WAGE$ Program supports educators and directors in center-based, family child care, and other licensed child care programs serving children from birth to 5 years old. Learn More: Iowa WAGE$ Sources: Iowa AEYC. (n.d.). Iowa WAGE$. Iowa AEYC. (2022). T.E.A.C.H. and W.A.G.E.$ Annual Report. Iowa AEYC. (2022). Child Care WAGE$ Iowa FY22 Results.

Child Care WAGE$ Nebraska provides supplemental pay to early childhood educators based on their education level and commitment to their early education program. WAGE$ is designed to retain and support the professional development of early education professionals; in turn, this creates a more stable workforce with the skills needed to support young children's healthy learning and development. Bonuses range from $300 to $3,500 per educator per year, with an average annual payment of $2,134. Amounts increase as educators obtain more formal education, and educators must remain in their early education program for at least six months to qualify for an award. In FY22, Child Care WAGE$ Nebraska provided supplements to 35 family child care educators; turnover among recipients was only 3%, much lower than the estimated 26-40% turnover rate among educators in licensed child care programs nationwide. This program is part of the national Child Care WAGE$ Program and is currently available in select counties across the state. The Child Care WAGE$ Program supports educators and directors in center-based, family child care, and other licensed child care programs serving children from birth to 5 years old. Learn More: Child Care WAGE$ Nebraska Sources: Nebraska AEYC. (n.d.). Child Care WAGE$ Nebraska. Nebraska AEYC. (n.d.). Child Care WAGE$ Nebraska: FY22 Results

Child Care WAGE$ North Carolina provides supplemental pay to early childhood educators based on their education level and commitment to their early education program. WAGE$ is designed to retain early childhood educators and support their professional development; in turn, this creates a more stable workforce with the skills needed to support young children's healthy learning and development. Bonuses range from $450 to $6,250 per educator per year, with an average payment of $2,406. Amounts increase as educators obtain more formal education, and educators must remain in their early education program for at least six months to qualify for an award. In FY22, Child Care WAGE$ North Carolina provided supplements to 4,018 early educators; turnover among recipients was 14%, which is lower than the estimated 26-40% turnover rate among educators in licensed child care programs nationwide. This program is part of the national Child Care WAGE$ Program and is available in many counties across the state. The Child Care WAGE$ Program supports educators and directors in center-based, family child care, and other licensed child care programs serving children from birth to 5 years old. Learn More: Child Care WAGE$® Sources:Child Care Services Association. (n.d.). Child Care WAGE$® Child Care Services Association. (n.d.). Child Care WAGE$ Results.

Started in 2019, the Child Care WAGE$ Tennessee program rewards early childhood educators with financial incentives based on education and employment continuity in hopes of increasing teacher retention. First funded by the City of Chattanooga over a six-month period, the program awarded $75,000 in supplements to 73 educators from 29 centers. The program was then expanded statewide by the Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS). WAGE$ has awarded more than $4 million in salary supplements across Tennessee to educators. To be eligible, child care professionals should earn at or below the income cap of $20 per hour, and they must work with children ages birth to 5 at least 10 hours a week in a licensed child care program. Levels of salary supplements are specific to the educator’s level of education, and supplements are issued in two six-month direct-deposit payments following completion with the same child care program. Through its department of human services, Tennessee also offers various professional development to early educators, including trainings (both in person and online), a registry, a resource-sharing platform for directors and owners, and tech coaching. WAGE$ is now funded through TDHS and is administered by Signal Centers. The Child Care WAGE$ Program supports educators and directors in center-based, family child care, and other licensed child care programs serving children from birth to 5 years old. Learn more: Child Care Wage$ Tennessee Sources: Child Care Wage$ Tennessee. (n.d.). About Us. Child Care Wage$ Tennessee. (2022). Fact Sheet. Tennessee Department of Human Services. (n.d.). Child Care Incentives, Grants and Supports. Tennessee Department of Human Services. (n.d.). TNPAL, Training and Professional Development Resources.

In 2024, New Hampshire legislators passed SB404, directing the state’s Department of Health and Human Services Division of Economic Stability to establish a pilot program to provide child care assistance  for the child care workforce. The legislature appropriated $2.3 million to  administer and manage the program, which began on January 1, 2025 and will formally end June 30, 2027. However, participating educators will receive child care assistance for only six months. The remainder of the program will be spent determining whether the assistance benefit for child care professionals produced a positive outcome for the child care workforce.  Under the program, child care providers in households earning up to 100% of the state’s median income will have their child care costs capped at 7% of their household income. Eligible participants must work in a New Hampshire– based, licensed child care center, licensed home child care center, or license-exempt center that is registered and enrolled with the state of New Hampshire to accept child care scholarships . Educators may apply through New Hampshire’s existing child care scholarship program.  learn more: Child care workforce assistance pilot program Sources: New Futures. (2025, January 2). Child Care for Child Care Teachers Pilot Program in Effect. Legiscan. (2024). Bill Text: New Hampshire Senate Bill 404.

Since November 2021, Alabama educators in licensed child care programs have been eligible for quarterly bonus payments of $3,000 (full-time employees) or $1,500 (part-time employees). These bonuses are designed to help recruit and retain educators as the early education field continues to recover from the pandemic. Bonuses are delivered to educators via a grant to the child care programs that employ them; since the program began, the state has administered grants to nearly 7,000 programs across the state. In the last quarter of 2022, nearly 12,000 educators received a bonus through this program. Funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, the program is slated to end in September 2023. Learn More: Alabama Department of Human Resources Sources: Alabama Department of Human Resources. (2021). Alabama DHR Announces Grants for Stabilizing Child Care Workforce. Alabama Department of Human Resources (2023). Application period starts next week for 6th round of child care bonuses.

In 2000, House Bill 706 allocated 25% of the Kentucky Tobacco Settlement Fund to support early childhood programs. Kentucky provides three apprenticeship options in early childhood education: the Child Development Specialist Youth Apprenticeship, Early Childhood Instructor Apprenticeship, and Early Childhood Program Administrator/Director Apprenticeship. Apprentices in these programs receive a national journey worker credential, graduated pay raises, and bonuses while working in a high-quality early care and education program. Employers do not have to bear any training costs, as progressive wage increases, mentor stipends, and milestone achievements are all covered by the apprenticeship program. High school juniors and seniors are eligible for the Youth Apprenticeship. Students enrolled in a registered Apprenticeship Program can also earn 9-12 college credit hours in an Early Childhood Program through the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. The majority of Youth Apprentices graduate with a Child Development Assistant certification. Learn more: Kentucky Career Center Sources: Kentucky Governor's Office of Early Childhood. (n.d.). Growing the Early Childhood Workforce: Apprenticeships. Kentucky Governor's Office of Early Childhood. (n.d.). Growing the Early Childhood Workforce: Youth Apprenticeships. Kentucky Governor's Office of Early Childhood. (n.d.). Leadership.

In June 2022, the San Carlos City Council unanimously approved an amendment to the San Carlos Municipal Code to charge developers a child care impact fee for any new commercial, industrial, or office projects in the city. The Childcare Development Impact Fee can range from $1.60 to $5 per square foot, depending on the type of project.  Fee revenue is used for capital projects including building new child care centers, acquiring land to be used for child care services, or providing grants to child care programs to upgrade or expand their spaces to serve more children.  Developers can avoid paying the impact fee by building a child care center on-site and contracting with a licensed child care provider to run it. On-site programs must meet state licensing requirements and local regulatory requirements.  learn more: childcare development impact fee Sources: City of San Carlos Finance Division. (2022, November 28). City of San Carlos Annual Comprehensive Financial Report. City of San Carlos. (2022). San Carlos Municipal Code, Chapter 8.52: Child Care Development Impact Fees.

In August 2020, the Seattle City Council voted unanimously to pass the Childcare Near You ordinance, amending the city’s Land Use Code to allow child care centers to operate in all commercial and residential zones, including areas zoned for single-family housing.  Advocates for the ordinance hoped that it would remove regulatory barriers to creating new in-home child care businesses in Seattle by reducing the time and costs associated with the permitting process.  learn more: childcare near you ordinance Sources: Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections. (n.d.). Childcare Ordinance - What & Why. Peha, J. (2020, August 17). Councilmember Strauss’ Childcare Near You Ordinance Passes. Seattle City Council Blog. Bicknell Argerious, N. (2020, August 21). New Seattle Law Opens Door to Childcare within a 15-Minute Walk of Every Home. The Urbanist. Childcare Near You Ordinance (2020).

In 2016 and again in 2020, taxpayers in the Cincinnati Public School District approved a 5-year levy (for a total of 10 years) to expand access to high-quality preschool for the city’s three- and four-year-old children. The tax generates $15 million per year for this effort, and $33 million per year to strengthen K-12 education in the district.  The measure’s approval created Cincinnati Preschool Promise, a program that uses the levy’s revenue to help low-income families afford tuition, boost the wages of early childhood educators, and increase the quality of preschools operating in the city. As of 2023, Cincinnati Preschool Promise had provided tuition assistance to 9,878 three- and four-year-old children in both public preschool programs and preschool programs run by community providers. Most of the program’s funds have gone to expanding access to preschool, with over $53 million spent on tuition assistance. LEARN MORE: CINCINNATI PRESCHOOL PROMISE Sources: Cincinnati Preschool Promise. (n.d.). What We Do. Harris, R. (2022). Cincinnati Preschool Promise: "Where Every Kid Has Access to a High-Quality Preschool." Children's Funding Project. Cincinnati Preschool Promise. (2023). Impact Report.

In 2022, Mayor Michelle Wu announced the creation of the City of Boston Office of Early Childhood (OEC) to further the City’s commitment to universal, affordable, high-quality early education and care for all children under five, making OEC a key partner to the state Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) and the Boston Universal Pre-K (UPK) program. The OEC aims to expand access to early education and child care programs, invest in Boston’s early education and care workforce, and serve as a central point of entry for residents looking for information on early education and child care programming and wraparound services for young children and their families. With the support of the OEC, Boston's UPK program plans to integrate family child care programs as approved providers during the 2023–24 school year. This expansion means Boston UPK’s mixed-delivery system will include three types of settings: Boston Public Schools (BPS) classrooms, community-based organizations, and family child care. BPS and OEC will partner with 20 family child care providers, members of the UPK Advisory Board, and other experts to design the new family child care UPK program. Learn more: Boston Universal Pre-K Source: City of Boston (2022). Office of Early Childhood Created to Prioritize Wellbeing of Young Children and Families.

In 2019, Jared Polis was elected governor of Colorado; his first term in office saw the passage of several significant pieces of early childhood legislation, including the creation of the Colorado Department of Early Childhood. This new agency combined all early childhood programs previously housed in the departments of Human Services and Education. The Department Early Childhood and Universal Preschool Program (HB22-1295) bill created the new Department of Early Childhood responsible for implementing the state’s universal preschool program and included $13 million or key administrative functions. High-level political leadership and a cabinet-level position paired with authority and commitment from the executive and the legislature can elevate and strengthen early childhood outcomes across the state or city. While the creation of a new department will not automatically create better outcomes for children, it can provide the structure and coordination needed to improve early education quality and accessibility across a state or city (Kagan, 2015). Learn More: Early Childhood System | Colorado General Assembly Sources:Department Early Childhood And Universal Preschool Program | Colorado General AssemblyEarly Childhood Leadership Commission (n.d.). Statewide Listening Tour.Bipartisan Policy Center (2023). Integrated Efficient Early Care and Education SystemsConnors-Tadros, L., Northey, K., Frede, E., Hodges, K. & Jost, T. (2021). Effective State Offices of Early Learning: Structural Features, Enabling Conditions, and Key Functions in Four States. Research Report. New Brunswick, NJ: National Institute for Early Education Research.Kagan, L. and Gomez, R. (Eds.). (2015) Early Childhood Governance: Choices and Consequences. Teachers College Press.