P.E.I. still needs early childhood educators but progress is being made, says association

Initiatives to help boost the number of early childhood educators on the Island are making a difference, but there is still more to do in some parts of the province, says the Early Childhood Development Association of P.E.I. 

"We are seeing a rise in staffing in a lot of urban areas, but we do still see shortages of staffing in rural and francophone communities here," said Megan Drummond, the association's special projects co-ordinator. 

"We are working hard in our association to develop initiatives to help recruit and retain staff in centres."

Child-care centres across the Island have been dealing with staffing challenges for years. But with demand increasing and facilities expanding, the need for workers continues to grow. 

In 2021, the Steps to Success program was  launched to help address the need. The program is funded by the provincial Department of Workforce, Advanced Learning and Population.

Successful applicants complete a work placement and three courses at Holland College. Once those are done, they can become certified as an early childhood intern on P.E.I. 

"There's been a great demand for workers in the early childhood sector," said Shanahan Gardiner, the province's acting executive director of workforce development.

"It is working. We have seen great success with this program. Almost 100 individuals have been supported."

There have been 73 people who took part in the program who are now fully employed in child care across the Island, said Drummond.

"It's really exciting. We love to see new people coming into our sector and finding out what a beautiful job this really is and how it can make an impact that lasts a lifetime for children," she said.

Still, finding staff for rural areas is difficult. 

"We don't have as many people to access in our rural areas," Drummond said.

"They still need that boost of recruitment, and so the ECDA is working on different campaigns to help people understand what early childhood education is and what a rewarding career it can be." 

More substitutes needed

The association is also hoping to grow its substitute pool to help support full-time staff. 

The substitute list currently has 13 names on it, and Drummond said turnover is high because once someone finds a centre they like, they tend to stay there. 

Having a consistent group to pull from would be ideal, "so if an educator needs to go out for an appointment or a child of their own is home sick, they're able to take that day without feeling guilt of not being in the centre," said Drummond. 

The more support for staff, the better for everyone. 

"It makes a huge difference in centres when the staffing is there," she said.

"Educators can focus on the care and the quality of care that they're providing to children and families because that's our main priority.... But then they're also able to focus on a better work-life balance, which we think is so important."