[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-585270-105":59,"doc-detail-585270-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","early-childhood-research-brief-owen-schochet-and-katie-gonzalez-early-childhood-educator-pay-equity-fund","Early Childhood Research Brief - Owen Schochet and Katie Gonzalez - Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund","","Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund (PEF) research brief examines whether the program continues generating positive economic returns in FY 2024 after shifting from a direct educator payment model to a facility payroll model. The study contextualizes persistent compensation challenges for child care and early education (CCEE) educators and associated labor-market and child development effects. FY 2024 results show $76 million in program costs and $93 million in total benefit value, implying benefits exceed costs by $16 million and yielding an estimated 21% social return on investment.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/early-childhood-research-brief-owen-schochet-and-katie-gonzalez-early-childhood-educator-pay-equity-fund/585270/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/early-childhood-research-brief-owen-schochet-and-katie-gonzalez-early-childhood-educator-pay-equity-fund/585270.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Aria Callaghan","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-29","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":19},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What is the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund (PEF) and when was it launched?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"The PEF is Washington, DC’s dedicated public funding stream launched in 2022 to address pay disparities between child care and early education (CCEE) educators and public school teachers.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"What changed in the PEF payment model in FY 2024?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"In FY 2024, the program shifted from direct payments to educators to a facility payment model that used a salary scale and required participating facilities to use awards to meet salary targets.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What are the FY 2024 cost, benefit, and estimated social return results?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"In FY 2024, total costs were $76 million and total benefit value was $93 million, so benefits exceeded costs by $16 million. The estimated social return on investment was 21%, similar to 23% in FY 2023.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},585270,1792191611,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":19,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":46,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":143,"read_time":31,"preview_page_count":4},962084926284,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_29158cc5080c5b710cf443261637dec0","Early Childhood Research Brief  \nOwen Schochet and Katie Gonzalez  \nEarly Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund: Do Economic Returns Change Over Time?  \nWashington, DC’s Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund (PEF), launched in 2022, is the nation’s first dedicated public funding stream to address pay disparities between child care and early education (CCEE) educators and public school teachers. Initially structured as temporary fixed payments delivered directly to educators, the program shifted in fiscal year (FY) 2024 to a facility payroll model designed to align educator pay with an established salary scale. In FY 2023, the PEF also began providing access to subsidized health insurance through the HealthCare4ChildCare (HC4CC) initiative.  \nAs part of a broader study evaluating the impact and cost effectiveness of the PEF, Mathematica—working in partnership with DC Action and the Early Care and Education Funder's Collaborative based at the Washington Area Women’s Foundation—is studying its economic returns. Analysis of the PEF in FY 2023 found that although the program represented a substantial public investment, the total economic value of its benefits exceeded costs by a considerable margin ( Belfield and Schochet 2024). This research brief presents updated findings for FY 2024 to determine whether the program, after transitioning to a new payment model, continued to generate positive economic returns in its third year.  \nSummary of key findings  \n• The total FY 2024 cost of the PEF is $76 million, compared to $54 million in FY 2023.  \no This increase reflects larger average educator payments and the introduction of facility administrative costs under the facility payment model.  \n• The total FY 2024 economic value of program benefits for educators, facilities, and families is $93 million, compared to $67 million in FY 2023.  \no Higher benefit estimates reflect new evidence on labor market impacts, larger wage payments, and how benefits are realized as the program matures.  \no Benefits to families—through increased access and improved quality of CCEE services—account for the largest share of total benefits.  \n• Overall, FY 2024 benefits exceed costs by $16 million, and the estimated social return on investment is 21 percent, similar to the estimated return of 23 percent in FY 2023 .  \nCompensation for child care and early education (CCEE) educators is a persistent policy challenge with broad implications for the CCEE sector and the children and families it serves. Research consistently demonstrates the critical role CCEE educators play in shaping children’s development during the early years (Hamre et al. 2014; Mashburn et al. 2008; PeisnerFeinberg et al. 2001; Phillips et al. 2016). Yet they are among the lowest-paid workers in the United States, especially those employed outside of school-based settings and who comprise the majority of the workforce. As of May 2024, the median hourly wage for child care educators was $15.41—more than 50 percent below that of preschool teachers in schoolbased settings and 39 percent below the median across all occupations (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025).  \nThe wage gap between CCEE educators and public schoolteachers has important economic consequences. Often, it can be a false economy to pay low wages. Low wages lead workers to quit more often; firms must repeatedly hire new workers. In the CCEE sector, estimates suggest that as many as 25 to 40 percent ofCCEE educators leave their employer within a year, which is more than double the turnover rate for K–12 educators (Bryant et al. 2023; Caven et al. 2021; Doromal et al. 2022). This labor force churning reduces productivity and increases costs; the quality of child care then deteriorates. CCEE workforce instability has negative consequences for child development (Choi et al. 2019; Markowitz 2024) and makes it more difficult for families to access highquality services (Doromal et al. 2022).  \nThe Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity ","cbCaiiQfVgeEZC85","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiiQfVgeEZC85","pdf",812788,"English","# Summary of Key Findings\n## FY 2024 Costs and Benefits Overview\n## Social Return on Investment\n# The Wage Gap and Sector Implications\n## Compensation Challenges for CCEE Educators\n## Turnover, Productivity, and Child Development\n# The Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund\n## Program Purpose and Funding Approach\n## Payment Model Changes (FY 2022-2024)\n## Facility Awards and Eligibility","[{\"question\":\"What is the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund (PEF) and when was it launched?\",\"answer\":\"The PEF is Washington, DC’s dedicated public funding stream launched in 2022 to address pay disparities between child care and early education (CCEE) educators and public school teachers.\"},{\"question\":\"What changed in the PEF payment model in FY 2024?\",\"answer\":\"In FY 2024, the program shifted from direct payments to educators to a facility payment model that used a salary scale and required participating facilities to use awards to meet salary targets.\"},{\"question\":\"What are the FY 2024 cost, benefit, and estimated social return results?\",\"answer\":\"In FY 2024, total costs were $76 million and total benefit value was $93 million, so benefits exceeded costs by $16 million. The estimated social return on investment was 21%, similar to 23% in FY 2023.\"}]","Early Childhood Research Brief - Owen Schochet and Katie Gonzalez - Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund | PDF",1792054214]