By following the emerging early education policies in state governments across the United States, as well as tracking the direction of ECE professional organizations, one gets the impression that quality improvement is assured by an ever-expanding set of requirements and expectations placed on teachers. However, most of the folks who are developing these new standards have not recently been responsible for a large group of young children all day in an under-resourced program. The author opines that policymakers, funders, and regulators do not know the workforce and do not understand the typical work environment and paycheck teachers are struggling with. In this article, the author addresses the issue of how to significantly support teachers to improve quality. As an advocate for appropriate wages and working conditions for teachers and directors, the author contends that without structural support and for only a meager paycheck, a director or teacher will be less motivated to continually self-assess in order to improve their work and its outcomes. The author discusses some strategies for supporting teachers to enhance quality, building high-quality program cultures, and providing teachers time and tools to enhance quality.