Minnesota’s Great Start Compensation Program has worked to improve wages and support for early care educators, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. A new report from the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, titled “Progress Through Persistence and Partnership: Minnesota’s Collaborative Effort to Advance Early Educator Compensation,” demonstrates how Minnesota moved from temporary relief funding to a longer-term, state-funded compensation policy.

During the pandemic, Minnesota launched a series of programs using emergency federal funds. These programs dispensed monthly payments to child care programs to help them remain open during the pandemic. When federal relief funds ended, Minnesota shifted to a state-funded program instead of letting the supports disappear. The Great Start Compensation program offers monthly grants that allow child care programs to offer wage increases, bonuses, benefits, and other staff compensation. At the same time, Minnesota expanded programs that improve recruitment and career pathways, including more funding for TEACH higher-education scholarships, the REETAIN bonus program, and Empower to Educate, which offers stipends and career supports for new early educators.

The report focuses on why Minnesota was successful at implementing these reforms, including the importance of grassroots support and legislative engagement. It also outlines some of the challenges remaining to having a well-compensated workforce. The full report is available on the Center’s website.