Following the COVID-19 pandemic, concerns have heightened around the stability and compensation of the Head Start Preschool and Early Head Start workforce. To ensure high-quality delivery of Head Start Preschool and Early Head Start services and better inform decisions related to the compensation of the early care and education workforce, it is important to explore teacher salaries. To date, there has been limited research exploring variation in Head Start Preschool and Early Head Start teacher salaries.

To better understand workforce salaries and existing disparities, this study examines salaries of Head Start Preschool and Early Head Start teachers by state, staff type, and education level.

What We Found

• Salaries for Head Start Preschool and Early Head Start classroom teachers varied considerably by state. Average salaries of Head Start Preschool teachers ranged from $26,964 in Mississippi to $79,853 in the District of Columbia. Average salaries of Early Head Start classroom teachers ranged from $25,985 in West Virginia to $45,530 in Rhode Island.
• Salaries for Head Start Preschool assistant teachers also varied markedly by state. Average salaries of Head Start Preschool assistant teachers ranged from $18,242 in Wyoming to $39,265 in the District of Columbia.
• Considerable variation existed in Head Start Preschool and Early Head Start classroom teacher salaries by education level. Head Start Preschool classroom teachers with a baccalaureate degree in early childhood education or a related field had an average salary of $40,913, whereas the average salary for a teacher with an associate degree was $33,566. Similarly, the average salary for Early Head Start classroom teachers with a baccalaureate degree was $40,046 and those with an associate degree were paid $35,985.

Recommendations for Future Research

While this brief provides valuable descriptive information related to salary variation in the Head Start Preschool and Early Head Start workforce, more research is needed that:

• accounts for hours worked (e.g., full-time vs. part-time) in Head Start Preschool and Early Head Start educators’ salary variation.
• considers how program blending of funds from other sources is related to differences in staff salaries.
• compares Head Start Preschool and Early Head Start teacher salaries against other early childhood educators.
• explores how state policies such as minimum wage laws, state and local job market conditions, and state and local support for early care and education workforce factor into salary differences.
• factors additional compensation (e.g., benefits, bonuses, and paid time off) into the equation when comparing salary variation across states, staff type, and education level.