To build momentum and expand supports for young children and their families, Best Starts for Kids is committed to addressing the pressing issue of inadequate wages and underfunding, and cultivating the conditions for child care and home visiting professionals to earn thriving wages. In late 2021, Best Starts partnered with Cardea to better understand strategies and partnerships to equitably boost compensation for child care and home visiting professionals.
Together with the Best Starts team, Cardea approached this matter with a deep commitment to centering equitable and thriving wage boost strategies and a focus on strengths-focused and culturally responsive practices. Cardea reviewed published information about thriving wage boost strategies that have been implemented or theorized across the U.S. and analyzed implications for equitable outcomes, conducted interviews with King County child care and home visiting professionals, and then shared findings and gathered additional input on synthesized themes from a wider range of King County child care and home visiting professionals.
