Winnipeg/CMEDIA: Wages for the early childhood educators (ECE) in Manitoba are being increased with funding from the Canada-Manitoba Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, Canada’s federal Minister of Jobs and Families Patty Hajdu and Manitoba Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Tracy Schmidt announced today.
This is the biggest increase applying to all ECEs in Manitoba history.
“In order to provide families in Canada with high-quality, affordable child care, we need to support the early childhood education workforce with better compensation…plays a big role in future learning…important to keep highly trained, qualified…to build safe and inclusive spaces where all children are welcomed, accepted, and nurtured,” said Schmidt.
Setting target wages grid for various positions within the early learning and child-care sector, this year focuses on frontline early childhood educators wages, for an increase of up to $5 an hour depending on certification level and the size of the child-care centre.
The new wage grid will be effective retroactively to April 1.
“Early childhood educators are the foundation…productive economy…They are more than childminders, they are shaping our kids’ early development foundations…this historic wage increase we are valuing the role ECEs play in our province. We are investing in Manitoba’s future…strengthening our economy right across our great province…in Winnipeg, rural or northern Manitoba…as we continue to expand and build new child-care facilities in our province,” said Schmidt.
Besides, an additional $60.4 million ($56.2 million from the federal government, $4.2 million from the provincial government) to licensed and funded child-care facilities through the wage grid operating supplement to support the wage increase for both ECEs and child-care assistants would be provided by the governments of Canada and Manitoba.
Along with a two percent increase to base operating grants for a total of $4.55 million for all licensed and provincially funded early learning and child-care facilities, this funding will be also provided retroactively to April 1.
“This is both a historic and monumental day for ECEs…are the essential foundation on which we will develop a high quality ELCC system for Manitoba children and families. Today’s announcement and funding of the provincial wage grid and benefits addresses a long-advocated-for action and solution…the federal government and the province of Manitoba has made this a reality,” said Jodie Kehl, executive director, Manitoba Child Care Association.
“We are committed to developing an early learning and child-care workforce recruitment and retention strategy to recognize and support the work of child-care professionals,” said Schmidt. “These historic increases to wages are a major pillar of that strategy.”
Directed at building a Canada-wide early learning and child-care system, the five-year Canada-Manitoba Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement was Signed in August 2021, Manitoba would receive approximately $1.2 billion in federal funding over five years.
This funding will serve to reduce the average out-of-pocket parent fees for licensed child care to $10-a-day and to expand access to more high-quality, inclusive child-care spaces for children under the age of seven.
In February, Canada and Manitoba signed extensions to their early learning and child-care agreements providing Manitoba with $1.9 billion in additional funding to 2031.
