Compensation Advancement Pilot Program
and Tri-County Smart Start
Consistent teacher relationships are critical to the healthy development of children. Familiarity and comfort are keys to building strong social skills and developing an environment conducive to learning. Teacher consistency is a very crucial element, yet it is one of the most challenging to meet, as low salaries, modest benefits and poor training combine to lead to high turnover in early learning programs.
Overall, compensation for early learning professionals continues to be lower than other jobs that have fewer demands and less responsibility. The Greater Kansas City early learning community recognizes that turnover is closely tied to consistently low compensation and benefits and that in order to reverse turnover trends, compensation must increase.
The Compensation Advancement Pilot Program (CAPP) and Tri-County Smart Start provide funds for supplemental wages and flexible benefits, based on position and education level, to early learning teachers in 30 centers across the metro region. The purpose of the program is to demonstrate how increased compensation of early education teachers results in improved program quality and positive outcomes for children. Participating programs have lower turnover rates and higher levels of staff education than other early learning centers in the region.
On the Kansas side of the metro area — in Johnson, Leavenworth and Wyandotte counties — the Tri-County Smart Start compensation program is funded through a Kansas State Smart Start grant. In Missouri, funding initially came from a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Early Learning Opportunities Act grant. Additional support from private community foundations has allowed the CAPP to continue. MCEL is evaluating the pilot’s impact and seeking additional funding for continued and expanded compensation programs on the Missouri side of the region.
In June 2003, the National Association of Regional Councils honored the Mid-America Regional Council’s CAPP initiative with its 2003 Achievement Award. The prestigious award is given to only one major metropolitan area regional council in the nation each year.