The Child Care Consortium, Inc. advances the cause of high quality early education experiences for children in child care and subscribes to the values and standards inherent in the accreditation process prescribed by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The Consortium places high value on formal professional education for its teaching staff and recognizes the importance of rewarding through higher compensation those educators who complete formal higher education requirements to achieve professional degrees and certification. The Board of Directors of The Child Care Consortium, Inc. has established a restricted fund known as “Diligent Effort Gains Returns for Early Educators” (D.E.G.R.E.E. Fund. The D.E.G.R.E.E. Fund is used solely for the purpose of compensating employees who have completed the requirements of Bachelors or Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education or related field with a “B” grade average.