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Building and Sustaining the Child Care and Early Education Workforce: Theory of Change Series

This series presents theories of change for and research on three types of workforce development strategies: wage supplements, apprenticeship models, and scholarships.

Introduction

The Building and Sustaining the Child Care and Early Education Workforce (BASE) project aims to increase knowledge and understanding of the factors that drive staff member turnover in the child care and early education (CCEE) workforce and to build evidence about current initiatives to recruit, advance, and retain a stable and qualified CCEE workforce. This series presents theories of change for and research on two types of workforce development strategies: wage supplements, and scholarships. The work was informed by a literature review and an environmental scan conducted for the BASE project and interviews with leaders from agencies implementing these types of strategies. 

Purpose

This series is intended for CCEE system leaders and workforce development strategy developers interested in designing and evaluating their own workforce development strategies. Each brief describes what is known about a particular strategy and lays out a theory of change, highlighting the potential inputs and activities that may need to be in place to achieve the outcomes of interest. It also includes a reflection exercise to help strategy developers identify potential additions or considerations for their own theory-of-change models. These models, when complete, can guide the implementation and evaluation of the strategy. 

Key Findings and Highlights

Using Wage Supplements in Child Care and Early Education (OPRE Report 2025-005) 

  • Wage supplement refers to forms of monetary payments that fall outside of educators’ normal pay and benefits.  

  • A general theory-of-change model for wage supplement strategies highlights short-term outcomes for CCEE educators like increases in educator wages, relief from acute financial stress, and improvements in psychological well-being. For employers, wage supplements may improve employers’ ability to attract CCEE educators because of the supplement. 

  • There is limited, but growing, evidence suggesting that wage supplements are a promising approach for improving retention in the CCEE workforce. However, there is a need for more experimental research testing the causal effects of wage supplement strategies, including examining their effects for different CCEE settings and educators and how best to implement them. 

Using Scholarships in Child Care and Early Education (OPRE Report 2025-110)

  • Scholarship refers to financial support provided to educators to take part in postsecondary educational coursework.

  • A general theory-of-change model for scholarship strategies highlights short-term outcomes for CCEE educators such as earning an industry recognized degree or credential, fulfilling higher education requirements for specific roles in the CCEE field, and obtaining higher compensation. For employers, scholarship strategies may raise the overall educational attainment of the educators they employ and increase the quality of CCEE settings and educators’ interactions with children. 

  • There is promising but limited evidence supporting the effectiveness of scholarship strategies. These strategies are one component of a broader set of workforce strategies designed to improve educator recruitment and retention in the CCEE field. Further research is needed to understand the barriers faced by scholarship recipients and the supports — such as flexible course schedules or academic counseling — that may help overcome these barriers and improve completion rates. 

Citation

Maier, Michelle, Lisa Rau, Erin Bumgarner, and JoAnn Hsueh (2025). Using Wage Supplements in Child Care and Early Education. OPRE Report 2025-005. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Available at: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/project/building-and-sustaining-early-care-and-education-workforce-base 

Roach, Sydney (2025). Using Scholarships in Child Care and Early Education. OPRE Report 2025-110. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Available at: https://www.acf.gov/opre/project/building-and-sustaining-early-care-and-education-workforce-base

Related Documents

  • Child Care and Early Education Workforce Recruitment and Retention: Insights from a Current Landscape of Strategies

  • Understanding the Child Care and Early Education Workforce: The Need for More and Better Data

  • An Annotated Bibliography of Select Literature on the Child Care and Early Education Workforce: A Supplement to the BASE Knowledge Review Series