Excerpts
The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador today announced details of a new wage grid for early childhood educators working in regulated child care centres that are part of the Operating Grant Program.
The wage grid takes effect on April 1, 2023 with a base rate of $25 an hour for Level II early childhood educators who hold a two-year diploma. This is the starting rate for a new graduate. Early childhood educators who continue to further their education and are awarded a higher certification level will be placed at Step One of their new level. Each step on the grid lasts 12 months, and are effective as of January 1, 2023.
The Honourable John Haggie, Minister of Education, made the announcement today at Gander Academy and was joined by Christine Penney, an early childhood educator and Jason Brown, President and CEO of YMCA-NL.
Additionally, there will be a 10 per cent adjustment for administrator positions, as well as a Labrador Allowance of just over $5,000 to early childhood educators working in regulated child care centres in that region.
Legacy wage rates will be in place for staff whose current earnings exceed the proposed wage scale. This will ensure no one will earn less than they are currently.
A one-time payment will be made directly to early childhood educators to cover the period from January 1 to March 31, 2023.
Full details on the wage grid can be found here.
Increasing the number of early childhood educators working in the sector continues to be a priority. In addition to the new wage grid, the province has introduced a number of initiatives, including:
- Providing funding to the College of the North Atlantic, Keyin College and Academy Canada to expand the number of seats they can offer in early learning programs. These agreements will see an increase of over 700 seats at the end of this year;
- Enhancing grants and bursaries for early childhood education students and graduates;
- Conducting in-person information sessions across the province to attract more individuals to the profession;
- Providing a recognition bonus for early childhood educators; and
- Increasing funding for operators, including family homes.
The Provincial Government has undertaken a number of initiatives to increase available child care spaces. Further information may be found in the backgrounder below.