In 2002, Child Care Aware of Minnesota created the Retaining Early Educators Through Attaining Incentives Now (R.E.E.T.A.I.N.) program to help retain qualified early childhood educators across the state.
Originally funded by private donations and federal Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) funds, R.E.E.T.A.I.N. is now funded through the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF), administered by Minnesota’s Department of Human Services (DHS), and through state general funds. The Minnesota legislature allocated $3.9 million in FY 2024-25 (and $750,000 per year after that) for R.E.E.T.A.I.N. bonuses.
R.E.E.T.A.I.N. offers salary bonuses to both center-based and home-based providers. Bonuses are awarded annually based on education and experience and range from $500 to $3,000. R.E.E.T.A.I.N. administrators do not require recipients to report how bonuses are spent.
R.E.E.T.A.I.N. complements Minnesota’s Teacher Education and Compensation Helps Early Childhood (T.E.A.C.H.) program by creating a professional development pathway for early childhood educators across the state. It has awarded grants to over 2,800 early childhood professionals.
Sources:
Peterson, V. (2023, September 21). REETAIN Bonuses Help Child Care Professionals Stay in the Field. Child Care Aware of Minnesota.
Franchett, A., Carlson, J., & Epstein, D. (2019, December). Spotlight on Minnesota’s R.E.E.T.A.I.N. Grant Program. Child Trends.
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.