“I wanted to grow up to create safe spaces for children,” shared Friends Center for Children Executive Director Allyx Schiavone at Strategies for Children’s The 9:30 Call.

Friends Center is investing in our educators through our Teacher Housing Initiative, which provides rent-free housing to our teachers as a salaried benefit. In order to address the crisis across the early care and education industry – high staff turnover and poverty-level wages –  Friends Center is transforming how early educators are compensated and supported by their school communities. 

“We’re able to remove our teacher’s largest monthly expense without burdening our students; families with tuition increases they can’t afford,” Allyx said during the call. “We’re also saving on operating costs. Overall, this initiative allows Friends Center to pay all of our teachers, on average, $18,000 more than the average Connecticut early care educator.”

The Teacher Housing Initiative is part of Friends Center’s Emotional Well-Being Program, which seeks to holistically support our community of teachers, children and parents.

Allyx emphasized the need for significant, sustained government investment in the early care and education sector so providers can offer the high-quality care families deserve while compensating educators fairly.

Check out this essential conversation on early care and education infrastructure.