As American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding for child care dwindles with no new major federal early care and education (ECE) investments in sight, we must learn from the successes of state and local champions of ECE workforce compensation. Recognizing the challenges of using existing child care subsidy reimbursement as a lever for increasing compensation, other states are building on the successes of ARP grants to deliver widely accessible base funding to programs, along with requirements or guidance on how to use the funds for compensation. As ARP funding phases out, Illinois is investing state funds into Smart Start compensation grants, which will require programs to use the funds for wages and meet a wage floor.