United Way of King County applauds the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services efforts to strengthen its national Head Start program by requiring higher wages for its staff.

Head Start programs improve early learning by delivering services to children and families. The program offers center-based and home-based services for children from birth to age five and is located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, several U.S. Territories, and many tribal nations. It is delivered through more than 1,600 agencies nationwide that tailor offerings to their specific communities.

Yet HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said that too often, Head Start staff have been paid “poverty-level wages” for decades. On August 16, HSS announced a new ruling that would raise the annual wages of most Head Start teachers to about $10,000. HHS said that the mandate will help recruit and retain qualified staff and help continue to provide quality programming for children and families.

Joy Sebe, United Way associate director of education strategies, applauded HHS for the mandate.

“Caring for our communities includes supporting the well-being of staff who care for our children,” Sebe said. “At United Way, we know how valuable it is for staff in our early learning program, ParentChild+, to receive higher wages. Many kids are going right from ParentChild+ into Head Start, and this new rule will ensure better wage equity across critical programs.”

The Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families says that children who attend Head Start develop not only beginning skills for reading, math, and science but they learn how to manage their feelings and follow classroom procedures. For more information about our state Head Start program, click here. To learn more about United Way of King County’s work around early learning, click here.