Early childhood educators in Ontario among lowest paid in Canada, advocates say

Advocates say that early childhood educators in Ontario are among the lowest paid in the country, and say that raising their wages is critical to the success of the $10-a-day childcare program.

Part of the agreement that Ontario signed with the federal government in joining the national program was setting a wage floor of $18 an hour in 2022 and increasing it by $1 a year up to $25.

The current rate of $19 an hour makes the effective minimum wage the third lowest in the country, ahead of Saskatchewan and Northwest Territories, according to a policy paper released Tuesday by the Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario and the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care.

Many childcare centres across the province are limiting enrolment or closing rooms because of a staffing shortage primarily driven by the low wages, said Alana Powell, executive director of the ECE association.

"We want to remind the Ontario government they need to show they care about ECEs and childcare workers by immediately raising wages," she said at a news conference. 

"That is the only way we can retain ECEs in the sector, re-attract those who have left and recruit more skilled educators to the field."

The two groups are calling for a salary scale of at least $30 to $40 an hour for registered ECEs and at least $25 an hour for non-ECE staff, who make up about 40 per cent of the workers in licensed child care.

Education Minister Stephen Lecce says he will be releasing a workforce strategy this fall that will include a boost to compensation, though he would not say by how much.

"We do appreciate that there is a great deal of pressure on the workforce, there's a great deal of staff leaving the workforce within five years," he said. 

"We're going to be bringing forth a plan that will demonstrate respect for the workers and I think give them an incentive to stay because we need them in order to grow our economy and to help women get into the labour market in the first place."

Lecce would not say if the plan will include a wage floor or grid for non-ECE staff.

Early childhood educators would also like to see the workforce strategy include non-compensation items such as a robust professional learning strategy and paid time to plan programming, Powell said. But the main thing she said she hears from ECEs is the need for higher wages, along with benefits and pensions.

Rachel Neville said she felt forced to leave her job as an ECE in licensed child care because she was earning $18 an hour and couldn't afford to take the bus to and from work multiple times a day for her split shift.

"Leaving my job felt like I was betraying myself and the children and families that I cared for," she said at Tuesday's press conference.