Washington has taken commendable steps toward building a high quality early childhood education system. Substantive public investment in early learning -- primarily through the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program and Early Achievers Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) -- is expanding access, albeit to a limited degree, to affordable, quality child care. However, a fundamental component is still missing from the state's strategy: a well-compensated workforce. Despite the fact that pay incentives for additional education or years of experience promotes workforce retention and is directly linked to improved quality of care, wages for people working in child care remain near poverty level. Integrating the state's Child Care Career and Wage Ladder (already in law) with Early Achievers QRIS would tie compensation to quality -- a tangible step toward improving early childhood education across Washington. (author abstract)