Child-care workers in Manitoba receive up to $5/hour boost to wages
Announcement brings cheers and tears from early childhood educators, child-care association director says
Child-care workers at provincially funded centres in Manitoba are getting what Early Childhood Learning Minister Tracy Schmidt called the largest boost to their wages in the province's history, with some seeing hourly increases as high as $5.
A new wage grid, retroactive to April 1, is being supported by an added $60.4 million from the provincial and federal governments ($56.2 million federally and $4.2 million provincially), Schmidt announced Friday in Winnipeg.
Licensed and provincially funded early learning and child-care facilities are eligible for the funding, as well as a two per cent increase to base operating grants.
"This historical increase reflects the invaluable work that front-line early childhood educators do for our children and for our province and for our province's economy," Schmidt said.
The highest increase will go to front-line early childhood educators' wages, with the amount dependant on their certification level and the size of the child-care centre in which they work.
The top of the grid will see wages go from $22.90 to $27.56 an hour.
"For the first time, wages will meet the MCCA salary scale for front-line positions and most of the administrator positions," Schmidt said about the wages advocated for by the Manitoba Child Care Association.
The new grid also includes an immediate pay increase for child-care assistants who are taking but not yet finished early childhood education training programs, she said.
After advocating for significant salary increases for nearly two decades, to see it actually happen "feels surreal," said MCCA executive director Jodie Kehl.
"Today is a great day to be an early childhood educator in Manitoba."
The announcement was first made Friday morning to more than 900 delegates at the MCCA's annual conference, which erupted in cheers and tears, Kehl said.
"Someone said to me she screamed so loud that the girl next to her, her Apple watch thought she'd fallen over, because it was just so noisy in there," she said.
"I do think it's going to make a significant difference in many ECEs' lives."
Schmidt said the province has been expanding child-care spaces but running up against a lack of people to staff them.
The new wages will help recruitment and retention efforts, she said.
"Child-care professionals are essential to the fabric of our community. It is important that they receive fair compensation for their work," said Liberal MP Doug Eyolfson, who represents Winnipeg West.
