The Biden administration is implementing pay increases for educators working in the Head Start early childhood program to address workforce shortages and improve retention rates within the system. New regulations released by the administration require larger operators to ensure their employees are on track to earn salaries comparable to those in local school districts by 2031, along with providing healthcare benefits. Smaller operators, serving fewer than 200 families, are not bound by the same strict requirements but must show progress in enhancing employee wages.
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra highlighted the importance of offering competitive wages to attract and retain quality teachers within the program. Many Head Start operators have had to reduce the number of families they serve due to staffing challenges, leading to a decrease in program enrollment from over a million to approximately 650,000 slots. A significant portion of Head Start teachers, most of whom hold bachelor’s degrees, currently earn less than $40,000 per year, with support personnel making even lower wages.
Established in the 1960s as part of the War on Poverty, Head Start caters to vulnerable families by providing preschool education for children and support for their caregivers. Neera Tanden, White House domestic policy advisor, emphasized that the wage adjustments will not only benefit thousands of Head Start staff but also enhance the quality of education for hundreds of thousands of children. Despite facing concerns about the financial implications of the pay increases, Congress increased funding this year to accommodate a cost-of-living raise for Head Start employees.
The administration acknowledged the lack of additional funding to support the new requirements, sparking fears that some operators may need to reduce program slots to meet financial obligations. However, smaller operators have been granted exemptions from certain regulations to alleviate some of the financial burden. Officials argue that it is crucial for Head Start employees, many of whom are women of color, not to struggle financially despite their vital roles in the program’s success.
Katie Hamm, a deputy assistant secretary in the Office of Early Childhood Development, expressed concerns about the long-standing reliance on predominantly women of color to subsidize the Head Start model, emphasizing the need to provide fair compensation. The Head Start program is managed locally by nonprofits, social service agencies, and school districts, granting them some flexibility in determining pay scales.