WFA Grantee Spotlight: Economic Opportunity Institute (EOI)
Saving the Wage Ladder for Early Childcare Educators
Childcare educators are one of the lowest paid professions both nationally and in Washington State, compromising the quality and stability of the early learning workforce. The Early Childhood Education Career and Wage Ladder—a state funded program that allows child care workers to increase earnings as they gain education—is one of the few policies shown to improve the wages and retention rates of child care educators and, consequently, the quality of early education our children receive.
So when the Wage Ladder was put on the state budget chopping block in 2009, EOI used WFA funding to maintain the program—and won. EOI’s thoughtful analysis on the issue and savvy communications campaign helped persuade the legislature to reinstate funding for 68 existing Wage Ladder child care centers, ultimately maintaining the current wages and educational opportunities of 816 early childcare educators.
The Pike Market Child Care and Preschool is one of the 68 centers benefitting from EOI’s hard work. According to Ellen Greene, Director of the school, the wage ladder has resulted in significant wage increases for staff and the highest teacher retention rate they have ever had. Kasey Weedman, a teacher at the school, is thankful: “The cost of living is high in Seattle, but because of the Career and Wage Ladder, I am able to do the job I love—teaching young children."
The successes don’t stop there. In the 2010 legislative session threats to the Wage Ladder re-emerged. EOI went into action and succeeded in maintaining the state’s $1.5 million match to federal funds to keep the Wage Ladder alive. According to Lisa Schubert, EOI Development Director, these achievements would not have been possible without the support of WFA's economic opportunity grant: “their funding was vital to leveraging other donors and foundations to achieve this seemingly insurmountable goal.”
