The Government of Saskatchewan announced it will invest $35 million over two years to create 4,000 tuition-free seats for early childhood educators and support over 5,300 professional development seats. (Kenneth Cheung/ battlefordsNOW)

By Kenneth Cheung

FUTURE OF CHILDCARE

Province invests in tuition-free early childhood educator training to address daycare demand

Aug 29, 2024 | 7:03 AM

A child care provider from the Battlefords is hoping a government incentive to provide tuition-free early childhood educator (ECE) training will help alleviate a shortage of workers and daycare spaces in the province.

Judy Schaffer, director of Playtime Co-Operative Childcare said their waitlist alone is 500 kids long.

“We’re facing a very large waiting list and a very high need for infant care,” she said. “The struggle right now is finding staff, and educated and trained staff are even harder to find.”

The Government of Saskatchewan announced it will invest $35 million over two years. The province said the funding will create 4,000 tuition-free seats and support over 5,300 professional development seats.

“To make $10 a day child care a reality for families in Saskatchewan, we need to retain and recruit more early childhood educators,” Canada’s Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Jenna Sudds said in a news release.

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(Kenneth Cheung/ battlefordsNOW staff)

North West College is one of 10 post-secondary institutions in the province that will offer the free ECE training and professional development.

“It reduces the barrier and opportunity for those individuals to pursue their education and achieve their academic outcomes. It’s been significant in that respect regarding opening access for students. Still, it also creates a pathway for employment,” said Eli Ahlquist, CEO and president of North West College.

“As we move forward, I think there’s just going to be a greater and greater demand for childcare. The challenges with the labour force and the ability of these professionals are not only to support working parents but also to provide a strong foundation for children as they continue their education,” he said.

Ahlquist expects enrollment in ECE program to increase as more people become aware of the free-tuition opportunity.

Overall, the province has seen some growth in the number of early childhood educators, with a 15 per cent increase since March of 2021. Schaffer said the growth isn’t enough to meet the demand for ECE’s which is growing exponentially. While she welcomes the funding, she said there are still problems the government needs to address including wage enhancements.

Surveys show the average hourly wage for an ECE worker in Saskatchewan is just over $17 and the highest is $22.

“The wages are still making people step back, and the fact of the long-term prospects, it’s not a job that you can climb the ladder to corporate success or anything. The love for children is the only motivation,” Schaffer said.

“I know they (the government] have been working on a province-wide wage scale for educators, and that’s been probably two years now, and we have never heard anything.”

Judy Schaffer, director of Playtime Co-Operative Childcare hopes a government incentive to provide tuition-free early childhood educator (ECE) training will help alleviate a shortage of workers and daycare spaces in the province.(Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW staff)

She also pointed out that many daycare facilities do not cover benefits for educators.

“We do have benefits here, but many daycares don’t; there are no pension plans, and you’re not really making enough money to save money on your own.”

Besides that, she also pointed out that there seems to be a stigma that being an early childhood educator is not a legitimate profession.

“Some people will come in thinking it’s just all fun and games and not realize what it all entails; we are doing checklists, a lot of thoughts of planning, programming, and a lot of work my staff are doing on their own time because there’s no time during the day to do that,” she explained.

Schaffer believes the additional funding is a good step for the childcare industry, and she hopes to see positive outcomes in the form of more certified workers who understand the real value of the job.

“If you don’t love children and enjoy spending time with them, this is not the place to be.”

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kenneth.cheung@pattisonmedia.com