CLEVELAND — Cleveland city leaders and educators gathered at Louis Stokes Head Start on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the American Rescue Plan Act investment into early childhood education in Cleveland. The investment is $4.4 million that aims to retain teachers and give scholarships to students who need it.
Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, along with other civic and nonprofit leaders, said the plan is to set aside $2.5 million to provide bonuses and addressing teacher retention at early childhood centers. The other $1.9 million will be for parents to help pay for child care or early childhood education costs.
The announcement comes as more and more teachers are leaving the field. Taja Salett is a teacher at Louis Stokes and has not wanted to give up teaching, but she wants more financial stability.
Cleveland officials meet Tuesday at Louis Stokes Head Start Center to address the plans. (Spectrum News 1/Katie Priefer)
“I knew when I got into teaching, when I decided that I was going to pick education as my major, I knew right off the bat that I wasn’t going into it for the money,” she said.
Salett expressed her passion for teaching and her students. Although she has a family of her own to take care of and an increase in salary would help her do that.
“Having that financial security would just make life at home a lot easier,” she said.
She claimed that this investment will not only increase bonuses and wages for teachers, but help students and their families.
“You have the security knowing your child somewhere where they are thriving with people who love them and want the best for them. Where you’re off somewhere creating a security for them to come back home to,” she said.
The legislation for this investment has already been passed, so the city is working to distribute the money as soon as possible.
