From a release sent by the N.S. Liberal Party
HALIFAX: With no details other than a “fall” timeline, the lack of information around a wage compensation plan for early childhood educators has daycare operators more than concerned.
The provincial government has repeatedly pointed to the fall as being the time when a new wage framework for ECEs will be released – a much-deserved pay raise that’s part of the universal childcare agreement announced last July.
But with little to no information coming from the Houston government on when exactly that will be, and as inflation in Nova Scotia spikes above the national average, daycares are walking a tight rope when it comes to staffing and the ability to plan out programming at their centres.
Pam Streeter, executive director of the Creative Kids Education Centre, said in a release:
“As an operator for 34 years, I have never seen such high stress levels and fear for the ability to continue operating as I do now. The regulated childcare sector has reached a critical point with ECE salaries that cannot keep up, especially with high inflation.
“Without details on wages, we can’t plan ahead. And operators are feeling disrespected, frustrated, and angry with the lack of information from the education department to move forward under the universal childcare plan.”
Childcare has reached a crisis point in the province. Daycare operators and staff are one of the most susceptible groups to the cost-of-living crisis – an issue that will have rippling effects if the people who take care of our province’s children have to close up shop or leave the industry.
“It’s not hyperbole to say that childcare providers raise our children. At the very least, they need to know immediately what they’ll be earning.
“Over-communication is essential when planning for the future, and right now our early childhood educators aren’t being given the details they deserve,” said Liberal Leader Zach Churchill.
