Persistent low wages and inconsistent compensation structures continue to challenge the sustainability of Colorado’s early care and education (ECE) workforce.
This report, produced by the Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab in partnership with NORC at the University of Chicago, presents findings from an analysis of wages among ECE professionals in center-based programs during the 2022–2023 school year. Using administrative data from the Colorado Department of Early Childhood and the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, this study explores wages received by job role, demographic characteristics, and provider attributes.
It further evaluates alignment with Colorado’s salary scale targets. Key findings reveal wage disparities by setting (school-based versus community-based programs) and a persistent gap between actual wages and recommended benchmarks, even for highly credentialed educators. These findings support ongoing efforts to better understand and address compensation challenges in Colorado’s ECE workforce.
They will serve as a foundation for the Colorado Department of Early Childhood and the Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab’s Early Childhood Workforce Evidence-Building Hub to design, test, and evaluate targeted interventions aimed at increasing compensation and promoting workforce stability.