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The Atkinson Centre is engaging with the early years sector to better understand workforce retention. If you work in early education and child care, please take 5 minutes to complete this anonymous survey.

The Temiskaming Speaker

Excerpt: "Starting Strong III (OECD) confirms what those working in the early learning and child care (ELCC) field have long known: “well-educated, well-trained professionals are the key factor in providing high-quality early childhood education and care.” Yet despite the importance of the role and its connection to quality, there is no consensus in Canada on what educational standards constitutes a “well-educated and well-trained professional” and who may use the professional title “early childhood educator” (ECE)."

Toronto Sun

Excerpt: "As Canada rushes to $10 per day child care an unsettling finding emerged out of a study on the Ontario early childhood workforce. When describing conditions in their workplace, a number of educators said they wouldn’t recommend their centre to a friend or family member looking for child care. Results varied by region, yet on average 6 per cent of educators said ‘no’ when asked if they would recommend their own program. Another 8 per cent said they were unsure. The percentage of concerned staff is thankfully small, but it still represents hundreds of educators working in hundreds of child care centres across the province."

Excerpt: "The Knowing Our Numbers study of the Ontario early childhood education workforce has just released its findings on the status of the sector in Northern Ontario. Workforce challenges in the North are unique. Its small population is spread across a vast geographical area that spans two time zones. Its land mass covers 90% of the province but is home to only 5.1% of the population. Low population density, high cost of food and building supplies, transportation barriers, extreme weather conditions, seasonal and shift work, and workforce shortages in other sectors all impact child care operations. Delivering child care services to Indigenous communities presents additional challenges related to historical and ongoing systemic inequities."

Atkinson Centre's submission to the Government of Canada's Guide on Building a Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care System

Excerpt: "Knowing Our Numbers (KON) is a comprehensive, province-wide study involving the College of Early Childhood Educators and 43 out of 47 children’s service system managers in Ontario. Almost 6,000 educators responded to surveys targeted to RECEs, non-RECEs, program directors, and home child care providers. The data were supplemented by regional focus groups, service system analysis, and related demographic and labour force information. The sector is far from monolithic—it is impacted by differences in geography and organizational structure. As is the norm for studies of this type, respondents are likely to be RECEs and more vested. When their answers are put in the context of the other data, they reveal a workforce under stress and ill-supported to meet the demands placed on it. "

The studies presented represent the feedback of almost 6,000 members of the early childhood education workforce in Ontario. They gave their time and knowledge to share with great passion their perspectives on the state of their profession, and the implications for themselves and the children in their care. Their voices must be heard, and their advice acted on if Ontario families are to fully experience the benefits of the Canada-wide early learning and child care system now under development.

Behind the workforce are the children’s service managers in regional governments and the College of Early Childhood Educators who came together to help conduct these studies. They saw the need for a province-wide collection system with a local lens to inform decision makers, to build cross jurisdictional understandings and to share best practices.

Excerpt: "Budget 2024 promises over $10 million to increase training for early childhood educators over the next two years. The federal government is calling on provinces and territories to develop workforce strategies that best support the recruitment, retention, and recognition of these essential workers. The ultimate goal? To build “the right foundations for a community-based and truly Canada-wide child care”, one anchored in publicly planned and regulated non-profit services. However, a stark reality confronts this vision: the pervasive presence of private, for-profit child care."

Excerpt: "The Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) plan is designed to create more affordable and accessible spaces for children under the age of 6 years. Expansion, however, needs to be anchored by a professional workforce. Establishing professionalism is difficult in a sector where educators are paid less relative to workers with similar qualifications or doing similar work. A new report by the Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) reveals the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the child care workforce. The number of quarterly job vacancies for ECEs had increased by 100 per cent. And while wages for most other sectors have increased post-pandemic, ECE earnings remain stagnant. Addressing recruitment and retention challenges is essential to building sector capacity and supporting quality care and learning environments for young children."

Excerpt: "Last week’s 20th Annual Summer Institute on Early Childhood Development brought together a community of changemakers aiming to Shape the ECE Workforce for Canada’s Future. Researchers and practitioners from multiple disciplines addressed the working conditions of early childhood educators and explored strategies to stabilize and grow the workforce."