We know that children are best prepared to succeed in school and beyond when they receive high-quality care from the very beginning. Nationwide, high-quality childcare has been out of reach for many low-income families, a challenge that was only exacerbated by the pandemic.
As of January 2023, the childcare sector continued to operate below pre-pandemic staffing levels, straining remaining staff and limiting the number of children who could be enrolled in quality programs. Grantees within Tipping Point’s early childhood strategy are not immune to these pressures and have struggled to recruit and retain teachers and aides. To help address this problem, Tipping Point funded a compensation study within the sector to identify wage gaps and provide benchmarking for our Bay Area providers.
Kidango, a grantee that provides high-quality infant and toddler care, preschool, and other services for young children and their parents, was struggling to keep roles filled. The high cost of living in the Bay Area meant staff often faced housing and other challenges of their own. Tipping Point’s compensation study findings helped Kidango restructure the way they pay employees and now all Kidango staff make a living wage of at least $26.92 per hour.
Knowing that investments in the care of the youngest children can have profound returns, Tipping Point’s research and Kidango’s new compensation structure aim to redefine how we value early childhood education teachers and caregivers across the region.
Tipping Point funds research on poverty-related issues, then supports new ideas and policy changes that work to address the issues head-on. By deepening our understanding of the barriers people face towards prosperity, we can better inform investments, new ideas, and change the conditions that will prevent poverty from occurring in the first place. Learn more about our strategy to find, fund, and amplify the most promising poverty-fighting solutions.
