Early childhood educators do some of the most important work in our communities. They support children’s development during the years when the brain grows most rapidly, build trusted relationships with families, and create the foundation for lifelong learning. 

Yet despite the skill and expertise the work requires, early childhood educators remain among the most underpaid professionals in the country. 

That reality is at the center of a recent episode of Small Talk: Big Ideas About Little Learners, NAEYC’s podcast exploring the issues shaping early childhood education today. 

In the episode, NAEYC’s Chief Policy and Professional Advancement Officer Daniel Hains speaks with Berna Artis, executive director of the DC Association for the Education of Young Children, and Owen Schochet, senior researcher at Mathematica, about Washington, DC’s groundbreaking Pay Equity Fund and what it reveals about the value of investing in educators. 

Early Childhood Educators Are Skilled Professionals 

For decades, early childhood educators working in community-based programs have earned significantly less than educators working in K–12 schools, even when they hold similar credentials and experience. 

As Berna Artis explains in the episode, the issue has never been a lack of expertise. Early childhood educators support children’s language development, social-emotional growth, family engagement, and early learning through intentional, research-based practices. 

“Loving children is not enough,” Berna says in the episode. “There is so much more to it.” 

The work requires skill, preparation, and deep knowledge of child development. But for too long, educator compensation has failed to reflect that reality. 

In Washington, DC, the Pay Equity Fund was created to help address that inequity by increasing compensation for educators working in community-based early childhood programs, moving toward salary parity based on education and experience. 

What Happens When Educators Receive Better Compensation? 

One of the most powerful parts of the conversation centers on what increased compensation has meant for educators themselves. 

Berna shares stories of educators purchasing reliable transportation, becoming first-time homeowners, or moving into spaces of their own after years of living with relatives or friends in unstable housing situations. These are not luxuries. They are the kinds of milestones people expect full-time professionals to be able to achieve. And the impact extends far beyond individual educators. 

When educators can afford to stay in the field, children experience greater consistency and stronger relationships with trusted adults. Families build deeper trust with educators and programs. Programs are better able to retain staff and keep classrooms open, and educators continue their education, improving program quality for everyone. 

That stability matters deeply in early childhood settings, where strong relationships are central to learning and development. 

The Research Behind the DC Pay Equity Fund 

According to Owen Schochet, senior researcher at Mathematica, the initiative has helped strengthen the early childhood workforce in measurable ways, with recent findings showing workforce growth reaching 11% above what it would have been without the Pay Equity Fund. At a time when many early childhood programs across the country continue to face staffing shortages, those findings stand out. 

Mathematica’s research also found positive economic returns tied to the initiative, including reduced turnover costs to screen and interview new educator candidates, improved workforce stability, and increased access to care for families.  

The conversation reinforces something educators and advocates have long known: investing in educators strengthens the entire early childhood ecosystem. 

Why Public Investment Matters 

The conversation also underscores an important reality about early childhood education: programs cannot solve compensation inequities through tuition increases alone. 

Many early childhood programs already operate on extremely thin margins, with most budgets dedicated to educator salaries and benefits. At the same time, families across the country are already struggling with the cost of care. 

As Berna notes in the episode, high-quality early learning experiences should not be limited only to families who can afford them. That means meaningful solutions for educator pay and workforce retention require public investment.  

The conversation challenges long-standing assumptions that early childhood education is simply “care” rather than education, and reinforces the importance of recognizing early childhood educators as skilled professionals whose work shapes children’s futures. 

While the DC Pay Equity Fund is unique, the questions raised in the episode are national ones: 

• How do we build a strong early childhood workforce if educators cannot afford to stay in the profession? 
• How do we expand access to care without investing in the people who make that care possible? 
• And ultimately, what are the real-life, long-term consequences – for individuals and our society -- if we fail to invest in early childhood education? 

Listen to the Full Conversation 

The latest episode of Small Talk: Big Ideas About Little Learners explores educator compensation, workforce retention, the DC Pay Equity Fund, and what meaningful investment in early childhood education can look like. 

Listen to the full conversation to hear insights from Daniel Hains, Berna Artis, and Owen Schochet about why investing in educators strengthens children, families, and communities.

Listen to Episode Three