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Each Child. Every Community.

Teacher Compensation

photo of teacher interacting with childrenSmart Start collaborates with early care and education stakeholders, advocacy organizations, and policymakers to address the state’s workforce crisis. Smart Start supports policies and investments that provide additional funding to improve access to quality care, including increased compensation for the early childhood workforce, and improved child care subsidy reimbursement rates.

North Carolina’s Workforce

Research illustrates that low teacher pay contributes to high turnover rates , decreased access to high-quality infant and toddler child care, and high child care waitlist totals.

Smart Start’s Impact

The Smart Start Network supports the early care and education workforce through statewide programs and innovative approaches administered by Local Partnerships.

Number of low-paid teachers receiving an education-based salary supplement ensuring highly qualified teachers

Teachers serving
children

Child Care WAGE$

Smart Start implements the WAGE$ program in collaboration with the Child Care Services Association (CCSA), providing education-based salary supplements to low-paid teachers, directors, and family child care providers working with children between the ages of birth-to-five in participating counties. In the 2021-2022 fiscal year, 3,995 teachers received WAGE$ supplements thanks to Smart Start.
Find out if your county provides WAGE$ and how you can qualify.

T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® North Carolina

Smart Start and CCSA also work together to provide T.E.A.C.H Early Childhood® to early care professionals across the state. Every TEACH scholarship has 4 components: scholarship, education, compensation, and commitment. Learn more about T.E.A.C.H.

Receiving Critical Support

With assistance from the Durham Partnership for Children, a mother of a young infant diagnosed with Down Syndrome received a critical T.E.A.C.H Scholarship. With the support of the program, she was able to enroll her son in a four-star school within two weeks. She now works full-time and her son is in a healthy and stable learning environment.

Promoting Continuous Improvement

Children & Youth Partnership for Dare County works to promote continuous quality improvement. A staff member encouraged participation in a director receiving technical assistance (TA). After TA, the program increased from a 2-star rating to a 4-star rating with a goal of improving to a 5- star program. The director now plans to apply for the T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship and to take college courses.

Local Partnership Innovation

Local Partnerships also provide innovative solutions to the workforce crisis by providing localized and specific support to meet the needs of their communities. This includes scholarships to support teachers’ education, scholarships for professional development, and sharing costs with other providers to offer benefits like health insurance.

The Pathways to Accreditation Program at the Children’s Council of Watauga, Inc which provides ongoing support to educators to increase positive teacher-child interactions, developmentally appropriate practices, and increase professionalism. Learn more…

Buncombe County’s Early Childhood Workforce Development Program which instills confidence in potential teachers, provides a detailed “pathway” for participants to follow, and the establishment of a Substitute Teacher Program. Continue reading…

The Early Education Teacher Liaisons and Early Education Business Administrator Liaisons programs in Cabarrus County is focused on addressing the needs of child care and strengthening the workforce within Cabarrus County. Liaisons serve as a bridge between the college and local child care centers, offering academic support such as referrals for tutoring and scholarships for further education. Read more…

NC Moving the Needle Team: Supporting Increased Compensation

NCPC and other early childhood organizations have joined together as part of the NC Moving the Needle Team (a multi-state project of the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® National Center) to develop a model salary scale for NC Early Childhood Education teachers based on specific principles.

This is especially important as compensation is a critical need for North Carolina’s early childhood workforce.

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