ENROLLED ORIGINAL
A RESOLUTION
25-684
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
October 15, 2024
To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to amend the Day Care Policy
Act of 1979 to update the minimum salaries child development facilities must pay
assistant and lead teachers beginning in January 2025 to participate in the Early
Childhood Pay Equity Program.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
resolution may be cited as the “Early Childhood Educator Pay Scales Emergency Declaration
Resolution of 2024”.
Sec. 2. (a) Early childhood educators and child development facilities are essential to
providing children with foundational mental, emotional, and social skills prior to formal
schooling, while supplying a stable and reliable form of childcare for working families and a
more robust economy. Despite their importance to families’ and children’s wellbeing, early
childhood educators have historically been underpaid, affecting their ability to stay in the
profession and provide families with stable and quality childcare. To meet the needs of educators
and families alike, the Council adopted the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund
Establishment Act of 2021, effective November 21, 2021 (D.C. Law 24-45; D.C. Official Code §
1-325.431).
(b) The Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund (“pay equity fund”) was established
in the Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Support Act of 2021, effective November 21, 2021 (D.C. Law
24-45; 68 DCR 10163), to provide supplemental payments to child development facilities to
implement an early childhood educator salary scale through the Early Childhood Educator Pay
Equity Program (“program”). Following adoption of the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Support Act of
2024, effective September 18, 2024 (D.C. Law 25-217; 71 DCR 9990) (“Fiscal Year 25 BSA”),
the Early Childhood Educator Equitable Compensation Task Force (“task force”) was tasked
with recommending changes to limit fiscal pressures on the program through the financial plan
and beyond.
(c) The Fiscal Year 2025 budget necessitated reductions across the District government.
Of the $70 million appropriated to the pay equity fund in Fiscal Year 2025, and annually over the
next 4 years, 5% of the pay equity fund is allocated to administrative costs and $12 million is
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 ENROLLED ORIGINAL
allocated to the DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority. These financial parameters require
changes to the program formula and salary scale to keep early childhood educator salaries
comparable to District of Columbia Public Schools and local education agencies in the District.
(d) On September 30, 2024, the task force released a report that includes a proposal for a
lead and assistant teacher compensation scale based on amounts appropriate to the pay equity
fund in the Fiscal Year 2025 budget. The proposed compensation scale establishes new
minimum salaries based on credentials, balancing the limits of the pay equity fund and the
compensation and benefits of pre-k and kindergarten teachers employed at the District of
Columbia Public Schools and District public charter schools.
(e) There exists an immediate need to amend the Day Care Policy Act of 1979, effective
September 19, 1979 (D.C. Law 3-16; 4-401 et seq.), to update the current compensation scale to
ensure the District has minimum educator salaries in place by the expiration of the current
compensation scales on December 1, 2024. This amendment would provide child development
facilities in the District with a clear salary structure that strives to improve compensation for
early childhood educators within the limits established by the Fiscal Year 2025 budget.
Sec. 3. The Council determines that the circumstances enumerated in section 2 constitute
emergency circumstances making it necessary that the Early Childhood Educator Pay Scales
Emergency Amendment Act of 2024 be adopted after a single reading.
Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.
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