Durham PreK considers the qualifications and preparation of a preschool program’s teaching staff to be non-negotiable in providing young children with successful preschool experiences. It is more crucial than ever that preschool teachers and assistants seek credentials that indicate solid and comprehensive readiness for the task; receive the highest quality of professional development available; and are fairly and competitively compensated for their hard work.

Durham PreK is head and shoulders above its counterparts statewide when it comes to supporting teachers in these regards and more. This is made possible due largely to the ongoing and unwavering commitment of the Durham County Board of Commissioners to continually strengthening the support our community gives its educators.

“Durham is like a beacon of progress,” said Maggie Connolly, a Durham PreK (DPK) Instructional Support Quality Enhancement Manager for Early Years. “There is a great deal of local government support for this universal PreK program that just doesn’t exist everywhere.”

Let’s take a closer look at Durham PreK’s exemplary commitment in supporting preschool educators. 

Fair and Competitive Compensation

Teacher pay has long been an issue when it comes to public education. While we always want to compensate our educators at the rates they truly deserve, we must at least acknowledge that the level of pay DPK teachers receive is much higher than the average compensation for their counterparts across North Carolina. This is a clear reflection of the fact that the Durham community considers preschool educators to be every bit as important as their colleagues who teach in K-12 settings - a tenet that is backed with county funding.

“We are paying teachers what a public school teacher is receiving,” said Connolly of lead teachers who are appropriately credentialed. “They are given the same pay as the public schools because they have to meet the same requirements – and even then some.” (Benefits such as health insurance, paid time off, and retirement vary by site.)

DPK requires lead teachers holding a birth-through-kindergarten (BK) license to be compensated according to Durham Public Schools’ certified teacher salary schedule based on their years of experience. For the 2024-25 school year, this scale ranged from $48,250 for first-year teachers to $67,695 for 30 years of experience. In fact, the median hourly rate for DPK lead teachers was $32.99 in 2024-25. According to Early Years’ 2023 Statewide Workforce Study, the median hourly rate for lead teachers across the state is $15 per hour.  

Teachers working toward the acquisition of a BK license must be compensated as first-year, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s salary schedule. For the 2024-25 school year, that annual minimum was $41,000.

For instructional assistants, the DPK Governance Committee required a minimum of $19.21 per hour in 2024-25. The median statewide is $13 per hour for instructional assistants.

True to Durham County's ongoing commitment to providing the best possible programs we can, DPK's reimbursement rate of $1,456 per student in classrooms with a BK licensed teacher ($1,404 without a BK license - this includes $1,100 per student from the state) is higher than most counties. These payments reimburse the site for the care of those children in the same way that private tuition would.

For 2024-25, DPK teacher compensation support payments are only paid to sites with licensed lead teachers to help offset the cost of paying them according to the DPK requirements. These payments are based on a graduated scale that takes into account the teachers' years of experience as listed on their BK license, as well as their required monthly salary. These payments are paid monthly, directly to the site.

For both of these payments, it is up to the site to determine exactly how these funds are used.

Credentials

Durham PreK teachers hold important credentials that indicate their education and skill level at percentage rates that are much higher than those across the state: 

• Among our lead teachers, 98 percent hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 31 percent statewide. 
• The percentage of those lead teachers holding a BK license is equally impressive, as 86 percent are licensed, compared to 12 percent statewide.
• 78 percent of our instructional assistants have obtained associate degrees or higher, while 47 percent of their counterparts statewide have done so.

Professional Development Requirements

The North Carolina Pre-K Program, administered by the Division of Child Development and Early Education in the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, already has high standards for professional development. In fact, NC Pre-K is one of only 14 programs that meet criteria for high quality professional development.

DPK, however, is way out in front in regards to what the state requires for professional development for its educators, making it one of the top programs in the nation when it comes to preparing teachers. 

“Our teaching base is highly supported and required to do things that are above and beyond what the state requires,” said Connolly. “But we have professional development activities that are required, and then there are optional things our teachers can take advantage of.”

DPK teachers meet a higher level of quality with these items that are additional to state requirements:

• Receive coaching and consultation by a Technical Assistance Specialist/Quality Enhancement Coach on a regular basis
• Create an annual Professional Development Plan
• Register for DPK Teacher Talk (our monthly newsletter)
• Participate in two Professional Learning Community (PLC) activities
• Attend the annual Advancing Skills & Knowledge (ASK) Conference, sponsored by Early Years with a professional development topic specifically for DPK teachers
• Complete a number of Webinars (teachers’ choice) with reflective activities based on their current license and experience
• Complete CLASS® professional development goals related to their annual assessment
• Agree to attend any additional webinars, face-to-face, online training courses as offered and required through DPK, the Division of Child Development and Early Education, and other statewide programs.

DPK program administrators must meet the following “above and beyond the state” requirements:

•  Coaching and consultation by a Quality Enhancement Coach
•  Completing the Program Administration Scale (PAS)
•  Completion of Leadership Assessments
•  Participation in the monthly Director Leadership Series
•  Creating a Quality Improvement Plan using S.M.A.R.T. goals
•  Completing five leadership OnDemand webinars
•  Creating a Self-Care plan.

Optional offerings include the very popular Communities of Practice, which bring Durham PreK educators together to share ideas, learn from each other, and collaborate. 

National Standards

With all of the effort DPK puts forth in far exceeding state standards, we also have met each and every standard outlined by the National Institute for Early Education Research’s (NIEER) “Benchmarks for High-Quality PreK.” They include:

• Early Learning and Development Standards
• Teachers Hold Bachelor’s Degrees
• Teachers Have Specialized Training in PreK
• Instructional Assistants Have High Child Development Associate (CDA) credential
• Professional Development and Coaching for Staff
• Class Size of 20 or Lower
• Staff-Child Ratio of 1:10 or Better
• Vision, Hearing, and Health Screenings or Referrals
• Curriculum Supports
• Continuous Quality Improvement System

Durham PreK will work to meet the expectations as the demand for high-quality preschool programs continues to grow. The support of our County Commissioners, parents, teachers, and the entire community is key to our success and so greatly appreciated.