Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund Research Panel

The Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund (PEF) is a pioneering initiative designed to address pay disparities between CCEE educators and K–12 teachers in Washington, DC. Since 2022, the PEF has provided educators with pay supplements of up to $14,000 per year, bringing their pay up to the level of K–12 teachers. In 2023, the PEF also included subsidized health care.

Mathematica is conducting the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund Impact and Cost Effectiveness Study, an ongoing evaluation of the fund’s cost effectiveness and impact on the labor market. A new report by Owen Schochet, a researcher at Mathematica, and Clive Belfield, an economics professor at Queens College, City University of New York (CUNY) and senior fellow and affiliated economist at the Center for Benefit-Cost Studies of Education, shared findings from a benefit-cost analysis to determine the economic value of the PEF.

With support from the Bezos Family Foundation, Mathematica, DC Action, and Under 3 DC convened a research panel on Tuesday, November 19, to explore these latest findings. Featured speakers and topics of discussion included the following:

• Ronnell Nathaniel, vice president of programs at Educare DC, highlighted why Educare participates in the PEF and the impact she has seen on the facility’s ability to recruit and retain a strong workforce.
• Sharnetta Meyers, lead teacher at Educare DC, shared her personal experience with the PEF.
• Sia Barbara Kamara, a DC Early Learning Collaborative board member, spoke about Washington, DC’s, history of innovative early childhood education efforts.
• Audrey Kasselman, senior policy analyst for early childhood at DC Action, discussed the importance of early childhood education in child development and the role of the PEF in supporting that system.
• Schochet and Belfield presented findings on the PEF’s impact on the labor market and the program’s one-year return on investment.
• Eboni-Rose Thompson, Ward 7 DC State Board of Education Representative, shared her perspective on the importance of investing in early childhood education.