Northwest Territories increases wages for ELCC staff in licensed centre-based programs 

The Government of the Northwest Territories announced last week that they are increasing funding by $3.5 million in Dedicated Wage Funding for early childhood educators, early childhood assistants, supervisors and administrators working in licensed centre-based early learning and child care programs. 

The government also announced a $664,000 increase in Flexible Funding to support licensed programs in offsetting costs, encourage program-level decisions, and fund other early learning and child care (ELCC) staff for whom the wage funding does not apply. 

Dedicated Wage Funding to increase wages for ECEs by $9 per hour 

The government’s wage grid for ELCC staff is tied to their certification and educational qualifications in early childhood development, which may include a recognized certificate, diploma, or degree.The wage grid is also determined by zones and regional variations in the cost of living, the educator’s employment position, years of experience, and Indigenous knowledge and northern experience. The new increase will amount to approximately $9 per hour for early childhood educators. 

Flexible Funding to increase by $750/space per year for infant and preschool spaces 

Intended to support programs to make local and program-level decisions about their funding needs and support all staff working in centres, the permanent increase to flexible funding is allocated based on the number of spaces in a program. The funding includes those centres with infant and preschool spaces, increasing the yearly amount to $750/space as well as increasing the yearly amount for out-of-school students with an increase of $250/space.