Biden administration hikes pay for Head Start teachers to address workforce shortage

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is hiking pay for educators in the early childhood program Head Start as part of an effort to retain current employees and attract new ones in the midst of a workforce shortage.

The administration's new rules, published Friday, will require large operators to put their employees on a path to earn what their counterparts in local school districts make by 2031. Large operators also will have to provide healthcare for their employees. Smaller operators — those that serve fewer than 200 families — are not bound by the same requirements, but will be required to show they are making progress in raising pay.

“We can’t expect to find and hire quality teachers who can make this a career if they’re not going to get a decent wage as much as they might love the kids," Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in an interview.

Many operators have been forced to cut the number of children and families they serve because they cannot find enough staff. At one point, the federally funded program enrolled more than a million children and families. Now, programs only have about 650,000 slots. A quarter of Head Start teachers left in 2022, some lured away by higher wages in the retail and food service sector. Some operators have shut down centers.