Overview

• Mayor Brandon Johnson announced a $7 million investment to raise wages for early childhood educators, sourced from the city’s corporate fund.
• The initiative will increase salaries for 3,000 state-funded workers by 5–10% and grant Head Start staff a one-time 2% bonus, effective July 1 for one fiscal year.
• Chicago’s early childhood educators currently earn $36,000 annually on average, $18,000 less than their K-12 counterparts, contributing to a severe staffing shortage.
• The shortage has left over 78,000 children without access to licensed care, with many families turned away due to a lack of qualified educators.
• SEIU Healthcare Illinois, after years of advocacy, is pushing for permanent pay parity reforms, which Mayor Johnson plans to pursue with City Council support.