An Evaluation of Maryland's Early Educator Retention Bonus Program, ECSTRA
Young children thrive when they have stable and engaging relationships with their caregivers. Yet early educators are among the lowest-paid workforces in the United States, which likely contributes to high turnover rates in childcare settings. To address both turnover and compensation challenges in the early childhood education (ECE) workforce, state and local governments are increasingly considering approaches to improving early educators’ compensation, including through retention bonus programs. In 2023, MSDE piloted the ECSTRA Program as a potential policy strategy to help stabilize its ECE workforce. ECSTRA directed American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds directly to eligible early educators who remained in their same childcare sites and roles for an up-to-8-month period via retention bonuses.
IRB-SBS #5536