By RUDY OROZCO

On November 18, Mayor Bill de Blasio, NYC City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, Labor Relations Commissioner Renee Campion, and Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza announced a pathway to pay parity between certified early childhood education teachers and entry-rate Department of Education salaries by October 2021.

The announcement honors the promise made by the Mayor and City Council to achieve pay parity for community-based childhood education providers as part of the FY 2020 budget agreement back in June.

It also builds on the wage parity agreements reached earlier this year between DC 37 Private Sector Locals 205 and 95 and will help address issues of recruitment and retention.

“Today’s announcement marks a long-sought milestone in economic justice for the dedicated workers who provide thousands of our city’s children with the care and education they need during their early years,” said DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido. “Mayor de Blasio and Speaker Johnson are to be commended for honoring their commitment to provide these hardworking men and women with a path to wage parity with their DOE counterparts.”

“In June, we committed to creating a pathway to pay parity for community-based childhood education providers, and in less than six months we have delivered,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “I want to thank District Council 37, Speaker Johnson, all our partners in the City Council and advocates, for working to ensure our best teachers remain in the classroom and our children are ready to lead the New York City of the future.” 

“I am thrilled to announce the final of several deals, promised as part of this year’s budget agreement, to put these community-based educators on the path to pay parity,” said City Council Speaker Corey Johnson. “This took a lot of hard work, and I thank DC 37 and the de Blasio administration for being partners in this process.”

“Ensuring salary parity in early childhood education for educators and staff working in community-based organizations today and in the years to come helps ensure the stability of a vital workforce and sector in New York City, and most importantly, a brighter future for the thousands of children they serve”, said Jennifer Jones Austin, CEO of the Federation of Protestant Welfare agencies.

Certified teachers at early childhood education programs will now receive the following salary increases over three years:

Increase Schedule	With Master’s Degree	With Bachelor’s Degree
10/1/19	$53,581	$48,372
10/1/20	$62,295	$55,651
10/1/21	$68,652	$61,070