This implementation guide from the National Center on Early Childhood Quality Assurance guides readers through five actions that are essential to creating and implementing a comprehensive, equitable salary scale, or structured schedule of compensation, for early educators. The “Salary Scale Playbook” is intended for all ECE program and system leaders, no matter if they are at the beginning or ending stages of developing a salary scale. The implementation guide offers approaches and resources to inform decision-making in line with your goals, context, and requirements.
Early Care and Education Workforce Salary Scale Playbook: Implementation Guide
Related Resources

Three Things We Learned From AI Analysis of CCDF Plans
This policy highlight from the National ECE Workforce Center describes three key takeaways from our review of states’ 2025-2027 Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) plans.
Published 2025

Introduction to the ECE Workforce Systems Change Framework
This brief introduces the National ECE Workforce Center’s vision for strengthening the ECE workforce. It presents the ECE Workforce Systems Change Framework—a tool designed to support state and local leaders in driving meaningful change.
Published 2025

Foundational Technical Assistance Webinar Series
Using the five policy areas from the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment’s (CSCCE) Early Childhood Workforce Index as a framework, […]
Published 2024
Related Key Topics
Compensation & Financial Relief Strategies
Initiatives and investments to ensure compensation equal to the value of early educators’ work