Summary
This report, prepared by The Muttart Foundation, in partnership with the Association of Early Childhood Educators of Alberta and the Alberta Early Learning and Care Leaders’ Caucus within the Canadian Child Care Federation, presents findings from focus group discussions with early childhood educators, held in fall 2023. It considers the current working conditions, compensation and benefits available to early childhood educators and identifies critical areas for improvement to better support their work with young children. Organized into four main sections, the report begins with an overview of Alberta’s early learning and care workforce and recent investments made during the first two years of the Canada-Alberta agreement. The second section outlines the research rationale, design and method. The third section details key findings, emphasizing the perspectives and experiences shared by educators. Finally, the report provides a series of strategies to support improvements that are critical to address the challenges the workforce faces and to build its capacity to meet the goals set out in the Canada-Alberta Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.