Ontario NDP calls for better wages, benefits for early childhood educators

The Ontario NDP is calling on the provincial government to pay early childhood educators more, and offer them better working conditions and benefits.

Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles was in Sudbury on Wednesday, where she visited the Discovery Early Learning and Care location at Holy Trinity Catholic Elementary School to share that message.

"Right here in Sudbury and across the province, we're seeing the child-care workforce shortage in full effect," Stiles said.

"Years of stagnant wages have pushed ECEs (early childhood educators) out of the profession. It makes it even harder than ever today for parents to find a spot for their kids."

Stiles said early childhood educators who work in child care centres make anywhere from $19 to $24 an hour, while their colleagues who work in kindergarten classrooms, with the same training, make closer to $35 an hour.

Tracy Saarikoski, executive director of Discovery Early Learning and Care in Sudbury, two staff members gave their notice last week because they found similar jobs in the school system, which pay better.

Saarikoski said they have not had to downsize their programs, but they do have to move staff around their four centres to meet demand.

Staffing shortages

She said other child care centres in Sudbury aren't able to accommodate the number of children they are approved for, because they don't have enough staff.

"So say they were always licensed for 24 preschoolers, they're only operating eight preschoolers," Saarikoski said.

That adds to already long wait times for parents to find available daycare spots for their children, she added.

$10 a day child care

But Saarikoski said the province's participation in the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care system, which plans to reduce fees to $10 a day by 2025, has been a positive step.

"Families are thrilled," she said.

"So our rates have dropped by 52 per cent. It's a mortgage payment. For some families their child care bill was higher than their mortgage."

When the province joined the federal system last year it said it planned to create 86,000 new licensed child care spaces by the end of 2026.

The agreement does not lower fees for children ages six to 12, however.

Sudbury MPP Jamie West was also at Wednesday's press conference and said in addition to better pay, early childhood educators need good benefits if they're going to want to continue working in the sector.

"That means benefits and pensions," he said.

"It means sick days, professional development and paid programming time. It means decent work standards."