New Ruling Requires Increase in Compensation for Head Start Educators

A new set of guidelines by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will require an increase in Head Start teacher salaries to aid in retention and hiring.

To better support early childhood educators in Head Start programs, new rules have been introduced to require providers to improve salaries and benefits (including high-quality healthcare and wellness supports) for their early education teachers. Current salaries for teachers in these programs are not competitive against the general market, leading many teachers to leave their programs for better-paying teaching roles or even jobs outside of education.

According to the ruling, large Head Start program providers will need to adjust annual educator salaries to match or meet above 90 percent of their public school counterparts (adjusting for responsibilities, qualifications, hours scheduled, etc.). Operators serving fewer than 200 families will not be held to the same rules, but they are required to show proof of progress in raising pay.

Additional impacts of this ruling include the following:

• Better integration of mental health supports across program services
• Safer and healthier experiences for children and families within program facilities
• Families engaged through meaningful services
• Updated program procedures focused on identifying and meeting community needs

For more information on the topic, check out the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services press release. The full text of the final rule is available in the Federal Register. The new rules are effective October 21, 2024, or 60 days after the rule is published.