Wages & Working Conditions
Background: earnings
Early childhood educators (ECEs) and assistants earn much less than other workers and less than
most women in other occupations. Canada’s average full-time incomes are:
- All occupations: $38,978
- Women: $34,892
- Centre-based ECEs and assistants: $21,519 (62% of the average full-time income for women)
- Home-based ECEs and assistants: $14,916 (43% of the average full-time income for women)
| To review the average full-time incomes of centre-based ECEs and assistants
by education level and province, click on
incomes |
Background: working conditions
The job of providing early childhood education and care is complex, demanding
and carries a high degree of responsibility. Many day-to-day challenges contribute
to staff burn out, feelings that the work is not respected and interest in better,
related jobs. For example:
- The lack of core, stable funding to programs creates job insecurity.
- Staff work long and physically demanding days, often with no breaks.
- Many staff receive vacation pay but no time off for vacation.
- Most staff do not get regular time for program planning or staff meetings, or time off
for professional development.
- Other challenges include:
- The higher demand for part-time care (more children and families sharing spaces).
- Staff feeling ill-equipped to deal with issues such as family violence and poverty.
- The pressure to help children achieve school readiness, which staff say ignores the broader
purpose of child care.
The Challenge
Low wages and challenging working conditions are important factors in the sector's
recruitment problems and high turnover. Improving compensation and working conditions
is critical to creating a high-quality child care system
For more detailed information, see:
|
