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The following initiatives have been supporting the growth of the ECE workforce. Between March 2021 and March 2024, there was a 26 per cent increase in the number of certified ECEs working in child care centres. This includes a 45 per cent increase in the number of ECE IIIs. This growth in the number of certified staff has been supporting the expansion of quality programs in child care spaces across the province.

ECE Wage Enhancements provide a wage top-up of up to $8.50 per hour for certified ECEs to help recruit and retain trained workers. ECE Wage Enhancements were first introduced in September 2021. The grant provides funding to child care facilities based on the hours worked to top-up the wages of certified ECEs working in regulated child care centres and assistants in group family child care homes. As of September 2024, the enhancement is supporting certified ECEs with the following amounts:

• Up to $5.50 per hour for ECE Level I.
• Up to $7.00 per hour for ECE Level II.
• Up to $8.50 per hour for ECE Level III.

ELCC Workforce Enhancement Grants are provided to regulated centres and group homes for employer-led recruitment and retention initiatives. Employers have the flexibility to determine how to best meet the unique workforce challenges they experience and can use funding for bonuses for long-term staff, investments into health benefits or pensions, and bonuses for staff when they complete an ECE certification level.

Since 2021, the province has been making investments to support the skills and capacity of ECEs through investments into tuition-free post-secondary ECE training, professional development and financial supports. These investments include:

• Tuition-free training and professional development opportunities.
• Supports while ECEs study.
• Reimbursement of tuition expenses.
• Dual credit opportunities for high school students.
• Bursaries.

Learn More About Training and Financial Supports

The Ministry of Education collaborated with Dr. Richard Fiene and the National Association of Regulation Administration (NARA) to develop a quality assessment tool called ±¦ÍþÌåÓý's Early Learning and Child Care Quality Key Indicator Instrument (SK Quality Tool). This tool is designed to evaluate the quality of child care centres in ±¦ÍþÌåÓý. The 10 quality key indicators that make up the tool were selected from studies conducted by Dr. Fiene over the past 40 years.

To ensure consistent results across all age groups, centre quality was evaluated using both the SK Quality Tool and the well-known Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-3 (ECERS-3) tool and Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale (ITERS). ±¦ÍþÌåÓý began implementing the tool in all child care centres in March 2024 and assessment of all centres will occur over 18 months by independent assessors. The information gathered through this tool will be helpful in developing plans to support and build the quality of child care facilities in the province and the capacity and skills of ECEs working those environments.

±¦ÍþÌåÓý has provided SECA, the province’s largest early childhood educator organization, grant funding to support recruitment efforts and leadership-focused professional development.

This work is focused on connecting with prospective ECEs at career and education fairs, and social media outreach highlighting the benefits of the ECE profession, supporting the sector to hire new staff. To support leaders in the sector, SECA contracted with a third party to offer the Activated Leadership and Leading as a Coach professional development series. These opportunities focus on problem solving, managing conflict and creating positive, functioning work environments through large group, small group and individual coaching and facilitation.