Manitoba child care survey: Access, staffing shortages and qualifications remain issues
Last month, the Manitoba Child Care Association (MCCA), in partnership with Probe Research, released findings from its child care in Manitoba survey.
Survey highlights from parents and the early learning and child care (ELCC) workforce, including directors, family care providers, ECEs and child care workers, note that access to child care, staffing shortages and educator qualifications continue to be major issues across the province. The survey builds on previous work done by Probe Research in 2016.
Access to child care has not improved
Over three-quarters of parents reported that Manitoba is “nowhere close” to universal child care.
Seven in 10 parents said they got their child care space when they needed it, but many were on waitlists for an average of 17 months before getting their preferred space.
Compared with the 2016 survey results, parents were twice as likely to say that child care is affordable today, with 70 per cent saying $10/day child care is working.
Improved job satisfaction yet staffing shortages and low educator qualifications persist
Overall, 82% of the workforce surveyed said they are satisfied with their current job, and 54% reported a noticeable increase to their wages, even before the wage grid announcement in May 2025.
Yet, when directors were asked about staff turnover, only one-quarter indicated that staff turnover is improving. Forty per cent of the staff surveyed said they were always exhausted, highlighting that while a sense of accomplishment in work is present, working conditions such as long hours, are impacting educator well-being.
Encouragingly, the staff surveyed reported long tenures with more than half saying they have worked in licensed child care for 15 years or more.
Almost three-quarters (74%) of directors said the staff they are hiring are not much better trained now than in the past, and almost one-third (32%) of directors surveyed said that in the last year they operated with a conditional license due to staff qualifications.
In Manitoba, ECEs and child care workers are classified as Child Care Assistants (CCAs), ECE II or ECE III according to their educational qualifications. Where ECE II’s or III are required to hold a ECE-related diploma or post-diploma specialization, CCA’s are only required to complete a 40-hour course. Provincial regulations determine the number of qualified staff required to work in licensed child care centres with only two-thirds of all staff required to be ECE II’s or III’s. Despite the commitments stated in the federal-provincial agreement under CWELCC to increase workforce qualifications, a large percentage of the ELCC workforce is minimally trained.
Jodie Kehl, Executive Director of the MCCA, told the media, “ We look forward to a solution-based partnership and relationships where we can identify gaps and continue to move the dial forward for the sector.”
According to a recent news article, the provincial government is expected to release an ELCC workforce strategy soon.
Read the findings from the parent survey here
Read the findings from the workforce survey here.