Ontario announced the launch of a “comprehensive Child Care Workforce Strategy” which includes increased wages and a multipronged strategy to recruit and retain qualified educators.
The province says it also taking action to further protect the safety of children by requiring all licensed child care operators to implement a Safe Arrival and Dismissal Policy by January 1, 2024. This will ensure that when a child does not arrive at the licensed child care program or is not picked up as expected, parents will be informed in line with existing protocols within Ontario’s publicly funded schools.
“Following the heartbreaking tragedy of the loss of a child, we have the responsibility and obligation to enhance the safety of our youngest learners in child care,” Education Minister Stephen Lecce said in a statement.
“Every day, Early Childhood Educators make a tremendous difference in the growth and development of children, which is why our government is unveiling the most comprehensive workforce strategy to recruit and retain child care workers. By hiring more ECEs, our government will continue with our plan to keep reducing fees for parents and increasing access to affordable and safe child care for parents,” he added.
The new workforce strategy includes increasing the starting wage for Registered Early Childhood Educators (RECEs) employed by child care operators enrolled in the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) system to $23.86/hour in 2024 from the planned $20/hour. The eligibility ceiling for a $1/hour will also increase so more RECEs can benefit.
This wage enhancement builds on actions taken by the province through the introduction in 2022 of a new wage floor for RECEs working in settings participating in the CWELCC system which includes annual $1/hour wage increases beginning in 2023.
The province says it will be cutting red tape for employers and providing more flexibility in staffing their programs as well as launching a promotional campaign to bolster awareness and value of the child care profession. As the strategy rolls out, the strategy’s impact on RECE recruitment and retention will be tracked and monitored.
There are currently more than 5,500 licensed child care centres, 145 licensed home child care agencies, and around 473,000 licensed spaces in Ontario.
