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More than 300,000 people across Canada work with young children, comprising over one per cent of the employed population. It is a marginalized workforce of mostly women. One in three are immigrants or non-permanent residents, compared to 25 per cent of all other occupations. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic 21 per cent of staff left the sector.
For the past two years we have been meeting with educators, child-care operators, government officials and researchers to learn about what brings people into child care and more importantly what makes them stay. We document today’s challenges and what needs to quickly change.Half the child-care workforce barely earn above the minimum wage. Almost 70 per cent report that their salary does not adequately reflect the skill and knowledge their work requires.
To successfully accomplish this educators need time to keep their skills current, and have access to professional mentorship and specialists who can help support children and families with greater needs.Article contentFewer than half the staff working in government licensed child care have post-secondary credentials in early childhood education. No province or territory requires all staff working with children to have credentials.