Teacher Supports
Early childhood educators are among the lowest paid professionals with average wages ranging from $11.39 an hour for assistant teachers to $12.22 an hour for lead teachers. These salaries fall below the living wage for a single adult without children and put them at serious risk for housing cost burden (paying more than 30 percent of their income for housing).
Franklin County has committed $500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to create a dedicated Emergency Rental Assistance fund to support early childhood educators struggling with housing costs. The fund, which is administered by Action for Children, offers an average payments of $3,000 to help meet housing costs.
Action for Children also offers signing bonuses of $1,000 to encourage more people to pursue careers in the early learning field. The bonus are funded by the City of Columbus. To receive a bonus, you must apply for and secure an eligible position through a participating child care provider.
Learn More & Apply