Lack of resources and an effort to maintain affordability for parents often make it difficult for individual child care programs to reward or encourage teacher education through salaries. As a result, many teachers leave the field or never even consider the profession an option. The Child Care WAGE$® Project was created in response to research-based evidence that shows that the quality of care children receive is lowered by high turnover rates and inadequate teacher education. For more information on this research, please see The Child Care WAGE$® Project: An Evidence-Informed Initiative.
The Child Care WAGE$® Project provides education-based salary supplements to low-paid teachers, directors and family child care providers working with children between the ages of birth-five. The project is designed to provide preschool children more stable relationships with better educated teachers by rewarding teacher education and continuity of care. The Child Care WAGE$® Project is offered throughout North Carolina as a funding collaboration between local Smart Start Partnerships and the Division of Child Development and Early Education. Counties that use Smart Start funding to support the Child Care WAGE$® Project may participate.
