P.E.I. cuts to pedagogical support funding raise concerns for quality early learning and child care

A recent decision by the Government of Prince Edward Island to reduce funding for pedagogical support staff in child care programs has alarmed the PEI and Canada-wide child care community.  

The pedagogical support program in PEI provides funding for staffing beyond ratio-levels, enabling educators to engage in paid preparation time and providing additional support to children. While the Pedagogical Support program will continue, centres will experience a reduction of up to 25% in funded hours, depending on enrolment. Robin Croucher, the province’s Education and Early Years Minister, has budgetary concerns drove the decision. 

In a survey of the workforce by ECDA, having above-ratio staff was identified as one of the most effective measures to support recruitment and retention. Without pedagogical support staff, early childhood educators face reduced time for planning, documentation, and family engagement. Educators are forced to complete essential tasks outside of paid hours, compromising quality programming and workforce well-being. 

“These cuts to the pedagogical support programming PEI come just weeks after significant cuts to early childhood educator professional learning in Nova Scotia, and points to a concerning trend of reduced investment in quality early learning and child care. Failing to support the early learning and child care workforce threatens to roll back the progress in building a Canada-wide child care system.” says Morna Ballantyne, Executive Director of Child Care Now. 

Child Care Now rejects Croucher’s suggestion that the sector can adapt to the funding cut because, in his words, “the people who run [child care] are ‘very resilient.’” 

The Early Childhood Development Association (ECDA) of Prince Edward Island stated that they were “deeply concerned” about this cut, and that “reducing this funding risks reversing progress at a time when demand for child care is growing and centres are being encouraged to expand.” 

ECDA of PEI is currently leading a campaign encouraging educators and their communities to share their stories about why the role of pedagogical lead matters to them. The responses are shared publicly on the ECDA website.