Learn about the child care workers enrolled in the Best Starts for Kids Child Care Wage Boost Pilot

Published October 23, 2025

Child care is the work that makes all other work possible. But for too long, child care workers have been underpaid and underrecognized for the essential work they do. We’re working to change that.

That’s why we launched the Best Starts for Kids Child Care Wage Boost Pilot. Starting this year through 2027, full-time workers will receive quarterly wage boosts, or supplemental payments, of $2080, with part-time workers receiving $1040. Since February, the Pilot has distributed $4.6 million to about 854 child care workers in King County.

In addition to providing child care workers with more pay, the Pilot studies the benefit of government investments in the child care workforce, including how wages impact children’s learning environments, worker well-being, workplace conditions, and more. Recently, Best Starts for Kids released a summary that highlights the demographics, experiences, and other key details about the workers enrolled in the Pilot.

Highlights from the Child Care Wage Boost Pilot Enrollment Summary

Child care workers who enrolled in the Pilot were asked to share information about themselves, their experience at work, and how the wage boost impacted them. As the Pilot continues to collect data, Best Starts will regularly share learnings.

“(The Pilot has) helped me with basic things like my car tabs and vet bills that I didn’t have to set aside my check for.” said a child care worker enrolled in the Pilot.

Child care workers enrolled in the Pilot are mostly women, and mostly women of color.

85% of workers in the Pilot are women, and 67% are BIPOC.
22% of workers had a preferred a language other than English, including Spanish, Mandarin, Somali, Vietnamese, Burmese, Farsi, Hmong, Turkish and Oromo.

Pilot workers highlight the benefits they receive through their job

Less than 40% of child care workers have health insurance, 29% receive retirement benefits, and only 16% have parental leave, highlighting a crucial need to improve work benefits

You can also hear more about what we’ve been learning from the data gathered from the Pilot at an upcoming webinar.