Have WAGE$: Helene Expansion questions? We can help!
When calling, please reference WAGE$: Helene Expansion. You can also send us a message online.
Program
Child Care WAGE$®: Helene Expansion for Disaster Relief FAQs
Child Care WAGE$®: Helene Expansion for Disaster Relief FAQs
Strategy 1: Six-Month Salary Supplement Program Q&A
The following questions and answers are also available for download as a WAGE$: Helene Expansion Strategy 1 Fact Sheet (haga clic aquí para hoja de hechos en Español).
Child Care WAGE$®: Helene Expansion for Disaster Relief (WAGE$: Helene Expansion) is fully funded through the Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE) as a way to expand WAGE$-based opportunities in the counties impacted by Hurricane Helene. The Child Care WAGE$® salary supplements are funded through local Smart Start partnerships that have elected to participate. Both programs are administered by Early Years.
Funds will support two different strategies. It will expand WAGE$ salary supplements into three counties (Ashe, Madison and Watauga) and will provide annual incentive payments to WAGE$ participants in other impacted counties based on their county’s participation in the WAGE$ salary supplement program. A separate fact sheet is available to further explain the annual incentive payments.
The salary supplements are education-based payments issued every qualifying six-month period to low-paid teachers, directors and family child care educators working with children ages birth to 5 years old. The supplements are designed to increase retention, education and compensation.
To be eligible, applicants must:
- Be a teacher, assistant teacher, director, assistant director or family child care provider working in Ashe, Madison or Watauga County.
- Earn at or below $25 per hour.
- Work with children ages birth to 5 at least 10 hours per week in a licensed or GS110 child care program.
- Have a level of education appearing on the WAGE$: Helene Expansion Supplement Scale (haga clic aquí para escala de suplemento salarial en Español).
The awards vary based on the education level of the applicant and the schedule worked. Awards are issued in six-month installments, each after the participant completes an assigned six-month commitment period in the same child care program. Supplements for part-time employees (those working below 30 hours per week with children birth to age 5) are prorated. The scale ranges from $600 to $4,000 per year for full-time eligibility.
Interested early educators must complete an application, including the employer’s verification of employment, and submit evidence of their current wages and education earned, as verified by an official transcript or with an active CDA Credential issued by the Council for Professional Recognition. Details of required documentation can be found on the program application. An application can be sent via email or mail, or downloaded from the Early Years website. Stay tuned for an application that can be completed online.
Payments are issued following the completion of assigned six-month cycles called “commitment periods.” Commitment periods run from mid-month to mid-month and are established by WAGE$: Helene Expansion for each individual participant using application date, start date and education documentation. After a commitment period is completed, WAGE$: Helene Expansion will confirm the ongoing eligibility of participants in that cycle with their employers. If still employed and still eligible, the amount received will reflect the education level and the schedule worked during the six-month commitment period. All payments are contingent upon funding availability.
Payments are issued after Early Years has received the necessary funding from DCDEE. Once approved for an award, participants who remain in the same child care program and obtain the necessary education (if applicable) do not need to reapply in order to receive future supplements.
Participants in WAGE$: Helene Expansion may increase their supplement amounts by gaining more education. The TEACH Early Childhood® Program offers scholarships to child care professionals who want to earn course credits toward specific early childhood credentials or degrees.
Contact the TEACH Early Childhood® at Early Years (919-967-3272) for more information. Participants are encouraged to send WAGE$: Helene Expansion an updated official transcript after the completion of any formal coursework so staff can determine the highest possible award. All educational levels noted with an asterisk on the scale are temporary. Participants must advance to a higher level as noted on the scale in order to remain eligible. Deadlines are shared with individual participants as applicable.
Payments are issued to participants after each six-month period in the same child care program. If a participant moves to another eligible child care program in Ashe, Madison or Watauga within the six months, then the commitment period must be reset based on reapplication and the employment date at the new site. This policy is designed to encourage more stability for the children in care.
Yes. Participants will be mailed an IRS-1099 form at the end of January, as needed in accordance with IRS guidelines. Recipients are responsible for reporting and paying any personal income taxes due.
Individual payments will be dependent upon the eligibility of the participant. However, funding for WAGE$: Helene Expansion is expected to be available until September 2029.
Strategy 2: Annual Incentive Payments Q&A
The following questions and answers are also available for download as a WAGE$: Helene Expansion Strategy 2 Fact Sheet (haga clic aquí para hoja de hechos en Español).
Child Care WAGE$®: Helene Expansion for Disaster Relief (WAGE$: Helene Expansion) is fully funded through the Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE) as a way to expand WAGE$-based opportunities in the counties impacted by Hurricane Helene. The Child Care WAGE$® salary supplements are funded through local Smart Start partnerships that have elected to participate.
Funds will support two different strategies. It will expand WAGE$ salary supplements into three counties (Ashe, Madison and Watauga) and will provide annual incentive payments to WAGE$ participants in other impacted counties based on their county’s participation in the WAGE$ salary supplement program. A separate fact sheet is available to further explain the salary supplements.
For the initial funding year, those counties include: Alexander, Alleghany, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Forsyth, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Jackson, Lee, Lincoln, Macon, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Nash, Polk, Rowan, Rutherford, Stanly, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Union, Wilkes, Yadkin and Yancey. Future eligibility will be determined based on annual WAGE$ participation.
An annual incentive payment will be issued in the first year to WAGE$ participants who were paid a six-month salary supplement in 2026 and remain eligible based on the most recent confirmation with their employer. In addition, these annual incentive payments may be provided to new applicants who have applied by November 1 (with a complete application) and qualified for a six-month supplement but who have not been paid at the time the annual incentive payments are issued. To qualify, new applicants will need to remain eligible for WAGE$ in their county and employed at the child care site from which they applied. A confirmation will be done with their employers prior to providing the annual incentive payment.
In the first year, the amount is expected to be $1,350, and payments will be issued in early 2027. The amount in future years will be determined based on funding and participation.
The funding is expected to be available until September 2029, and one payment will be made in each of three funded years to those who qualify.
The annual incentives are being offered through DCDEE and not the local Smart Start which funds the WAGE$ salary supplements. New applicants on the waiting list may also qualify for an incentive payment pending eligibility at the time of confirmation.
Yes. Participants will be mailed an IRS-1099 form at the end of January, as needed in accordance with IRS guidelines. Recipients are responsible for reporting and paying any personal income taxes due.
