Feb
22

Announcement on the supports to the ELCC Workforce

Today’s announcement is a critical step in supporting Manitoba’s early learning and child care sector.

We know that Early Childhood Educators and providers are the heart of a high-quality, regulated child care system. They need to be fairly compensated.  They are the solid foundation on which child care services are to be built.

Today’s announcement is long awaited. An effective child care system will include a dedicated and comprehensive workforce strategy, one that clearly plans for the fair compensation, benefits, educational and professional development pathways and overall recruitment and retention of the child care workforce. This strategy must stabilize the existing workforce and provide a road map for the future one. Over the past 2 years, the long-standing challenges facing MB’s child care sector have only been amplified.

Increases to the wages and investments paid directly to ECEs are long overdue. The one-time increase to the workforce’s pension plan and the TFSA contributions are good preliminary initiatives to address part of the workforce crisis. The funding allocated towards ECE training and tuition will be another opportunity to build the strong, professional workforce required to provide families quality, inclusive and culturally supportive child care in Manitoba.

If we are truly talking about our most precious resource, our children, then we must strengthen the child care workforce. The early learning & child care sector must be competitive so that we are attracting and retaining the best and the brightest educated ECEs to work with Manitoba’s youngest citizens.

MCCA looks forward to our continued partnership with the government to ensure that ECEs have the supports they need to succeed.

Thank you, Minister Ewasko, Minister Gould, and to both the governments of Manitoba and Canada for their continued commitment to children and families.

 

Categories: News

Posted by Karen K at 11:18 am