Workers, parents, advocates, school boards, and child care operators all know the solution to the child care crisis in Ontario: workers need to be valued; they need to be paid better; and they need improved working conditions.
The College of Early Childhood Educators’ recently announced fee increase will do none of that. In fact, it will only push more skilled and dedicated child care workers from jobs they love, making it even more challenging for centres to staff properly or parents to find a child care space.
Tell the College of Early Childhood Educators to rethink their misguided fee increase and to spend their time advocating for a real workforce solution instead of punishing workers.
Registered ECEs working in both school boards and child care centres are highly trained. Their jobs require creativity and patience, and are physically demanding, taking a toll on workers’ bodies. And they are crucial to a healthy society, setting our youngest children up for a lifetime of learning.
Despite this, far too many RECEs still earn the sector minimum of under $24 an hour.
These are tough jobs – and they are not compensated fairly. That’s why RECEs average less than three-years in the sector before they look for other work outside of the sector.
Enter the College of ECEs which announced over the summer a 9.4 per cent fee increase to for workers to maintain their certification.
The College is undoubtedly facing the same rising costs that all Ontarians are – but passing that cost onto their members, who are among the lowest paid and hardest working in society is a mistake and one that will only hurt the sector.
RECEs are already struggling. More are graduating every year with bleak economic futures, heavy student loans, and an initiation fee of $245 to join the college. This additional fee will push many from the sector.
Send a letter today. Tell the College of Early Childhood Educators to rethink the fee increase and advocate alongside workers for a real solution to the workforce crisis plaguing child care.
