Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund Impact and Cost Effectiveness Study (2022-2026)¶

Element · All elements
Evidence · 5 claims (5 for) · 2 studies (1 causal, 1 associational), q1–q2 · 0 of 2 report an effect size · 5 claims rest on one study

Description¶

A multi-year evaluation project associated with the PEF publication, listed on the page with the time frame "2022 - 2026". It anchors a suite of related outputs, including the final workforce impact study, a follow-up analysis of whether economic returns change over time, and a policy analysis brief, produced by Mathematica and Under 3 DC for a consortium of early childhood funders.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Prepared for client funders including the Bezos Family Foundation, the Esther A. & Joseph Klingenstein Fund, DC Action, and early care and education funders collaboratives

Constraints¶

• Several listed companion reports carry later publication dates (2026), indicating the study is ongoing relative to the November 2024 brief

Target Learners¶

• early childhood educators in Washington, DC

Target Learning Goals¶

• evidence on the workforce and economic effects of educator pay equity policy

Claims¶

• A benefit-cost analysis of DC's Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund finds the initiative to address educator pay gaps has economic value [+W]
• Program costs rose under the PEF's facility payment model, but the size and economic value of benefits also increased [+W]
• The PEF's total FY 2024 economic value of benefits was $93 million, up from $67 million in FY 2023, with benefits to families the largest share [+W]
• The PEF's total FY 2024 cost was $76 million, up from $54 million in FY 2023, reflecting larger educator payments and new facility administrative costs [+W]
• Washington, DC's PEF sustained a positive social return on investment of 21 percent in FY 2024, similar to 23 percent in FY 2023 [+W]

Related Elements¶

• Dc Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Under 3 DC. (2024). Public Investments in Early Childhood Education: Comparing the Cost and Benefits of the Pay Equity Fund (PEF). Mathematica. https://www.mathematica.org/publications/public-investments-in-early-childhood-education