For Mikaela and her colleagues, WAGE$ supplements have been a lifeline, providing crucial financial support and incentivizing further education. “Our teachers get excited when they learn about it. They look forward to it,” she shared.
The following is an excerpt of a speech, as well as an original poem, presented by North Carolina Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green at Child Care Services Association’s 50th anniversary celebration on May 18, 2024.
Doris Lee is a Dare County Early Childhood Professional and onsite Administrator of a 4 star licensed facility. She is a strong advocate for Early Childhood and strives every day to be an influential resource to her fellow teachers, the children and their families as she serves in the field. She wants to raise awareness about how child care needs are not being met, including fair compensation for early educators, and the resources that are not available. Doris said, “AWARD$ Plus allows me to be able to take care of my financial obligations along with my living expenses. Our line of work deserves competitive wages for teachers and administrators to feel appreciated and respected as they fight the good fight. Early childhood educators shouldn’t be financially struggling to maintain the basics of everyday life all because they chose to work with children.”
First year? In many ways, yes! If you are familiar with Infant-Toddler Educator AWARD$®, then you know this education-based salary supplement program actually began back in 2018. However, in FY23, the program transitioned to AWARD$ Plus with expanded eligibility. The primary differences in eligibility are shown below.
Veronica Pigford loves working with two-year-olds, but she didn’t start with this age group. “I came here for a summer job when I was working in the public school system and I just fell in love with infants and toddlers,” Veronica said. “I love all the children, but I am so happy working with the twos. They love you so much. They cling to you. They appreciate you and are eager to learn new things. I really like being part of that.”
Another fiscal year is in the books for the Child Care WAGE$® Program and results continue to be strong for this program that nears its 30th anniversary. WAGE$ started as a county-based pilot program with the first payments issued in 1994 and since its beginning, the program has supported increased retention, education and compensation. With anecdotal evidence that the early care and education field continues to struggle with attracting and retaining qualified staff, WAGE$ is proud to offer education-based salary supplements to help address these concerns.
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