Province says Ontario could be short thousands of early childhood educators by 2026

The Ontario government is estimating the province could be short 85-hundred registered early childhood educators by 2026.

That’s when parents will be paying $10-a-day on average for child care, and the province expects to have added 86-thousand new spaces to meet the increased demand that will come from the lowered fees.

Ontario is starting workforce consultations with people in the child-care sector on Monday, and slide decks obtained by The Canadian Press show the government expects 14-thousand, 700 new registered E-C-E’s will be needed.

But without further steps to address recruitment and retention, they say Ontario will be about eight-thousand, 500 short.

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As part of the province’s deal with the federal government, the province set a wage floor for E-C-E’s of $18 an hour in 2022, increasing by $1 a year up to $25.

The Association of Early Childhood Educators of Ontario says there should be an immediate $30 minimum wage for registered E-C-E’s and $25 for other staff, as well as a wage grid.

Executive director Rachel Vickerson says it’s the most important part of a provincial workforce strategy, because even if the government gives more incentives for people to enter the field, they won’t stay if the wages are low with no progression.

She says benefits and pensions also need to be part of the discussions.