Since February 2025, Child Care Now’s National Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) Workforce Policy Table has met twice to discuss ELCC workforce qualifications, following the publication of policy recommendations on wages, benefits, and pensions. The Policy Table’s deliberations have been informed by research assembled by Child Care Now’s “Educators Matter” staff team, including a…
Following the release of the National Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) Workforce Policy Table policy recommendations on wages, benefits and pensions in November 2024, and as part of Child Care Now’s Educator’s Matter project, Child Care Now has released two new policy briefs focused on pension plans. Policy Brief: Employer Pension Plans in Canada’s…
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…
The federal government has announced it is moving forward, pending regulatory approvals, with plans to forgive Canada Student Loans for early childhood educators who are working in rural or remote communities across Canada. Last April, Budget 2024 proposed including early childhood educators to the list of eligible occupations for the Canada Student Loan Forgiveness Program….
On February 27, 2025, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that applications for permanent residency from early childhood educators and assistants will be given priority consideration in 2025. The Government of Canada determines which skilled workers should get priority consideration for permanent residency based on labour market demands, and uses “express entry” mechanisms to…
Alberta announces new capital funding to expand not-for-profit and public child care February 11, 2025 The Alberta government announced on January 27, 2025 that it will use a new $53 million capital grant program (financed by the federal government) to help public and not-for-profit organizations that wish to “build, expand, upgrade and make repairs to…
Setting the record straight on Canada’s $10 a day Child Care Plan January 30, 2025 Since its implementation, the $10 a Day Plan has received ongoing media attention, from supporters and critics alike. It is unfortunate that some critics have used and manipulated data to inaccurately suggest that the program is not working. In doing…
Ontario faces a decline in the proportion of qualified RECEs working in the child care sector January 30, 2025 Ontario’s progress toward the national $10-a-day child-care program is facing significant hurdles, as reported in a recent news article by Allison Jones. A 2024 annual report from the Ministry of Education reveals that, although the total…
A new report released by Statistics Canada in December 2024 further analyzes data from its 2022 Canadian Study on the Provision of Child Care Services. The report shows how workforce characteristics such as roles and composition of employees, rates of pay and benefits, employee turnover and vacancies, differ based on centre ownership and organizational structure. Approximately half…
On November 28 and 29, 2024, organizations representing Canada’s Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) sector outside of Quebec, alongside policy experts and child care advocates gathered in Ottawa for a Summit on the $10aDay Child Care Plan. The goal of the Summit was to assess the implementation of the plan initiated by the federal…
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