a group of advocates for affordable, accessible child care went to the Saskatchewan Legislature on Wednesday to express concern over the availability of labor in the region.
“We need to start paying people professionally. We are way down right now,” said Sue Delaney, chairperson of Child Care Now Saskatchewan.
Delaney was joined by the Saskatchewan Federation of Labor as well as the Saskatchewan NDP in calling for the development of a provincial pay grid for child care workers.
She did not provide a specific median wage for workers in the region in Saskatchewan, but said many earn the minimum wage – not enough, she says, to attract and retain the number of workers who provide will be necessary Child care in the province from $10 per day.
In August of 2021, the provincial government promised to achieve that price point by the end of 2025-26 with the help of $1.1 billion in federal funding and 28,000 new child care spaces.
Delaney said, “We have some of the least regulated child care in the country. There are not enough places and locations.
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Saskatchewan Child Care and Early Learning Critic Mira Conway said she’s heard from child-care workers that many have to take on other jobs to fully support themselves.
“It’s not right. This is a profession that is engaged in the important work of shaping all other professions.’
“We know the social and economic benefits of a strong child-care system. We are calling on the province to come up with a wage grid to address the labor crisis.
Meera inquired Recent government announcements Regarding the construction of new child-care sites.
“We see press releases from this government that they are putting places in certain communities,” she said.
“But then we’re hearing quite often on the ground that those spaces are meaningless because they can’t really staff them.”
Conway questioned Education Minister Dustin Duncan on the subject during Question Hour on Wednesday.
“We are working toward developing a pay grid for this sector,” Duncan told the chamber.
“We have provided $9 million in this year’s budget for tutoring and training.”
He said that, as of August of 2021, there are 3,402 new child-care spaces in the province.
Duncan said $309.6 million in the 2022-23 budget was dedicated to child care and early child care education.
In a statement, the province said that “as of October 31, 2022, there are a total of 19,354 operational regulated child care spaces in Saskatchewan. The government also recently announced an application process for centers interested in applying for an additional 598 places.
“Saskatchewan is committed to attracting, retaining and developing a strong and skilled workforce of early childhood educators, and has therefore provided wage increases of up to $5 per hour for early childhood educators, 2021-22 and 2022 providing free early childhood teacher training in the U.S.—23 and creating a wage grid that will ensure early childhood teachers receive competitive pay for the work they do,” the statement continues.
A National Day of Action for Child Care saw similar concerns Raised in other parts of Canada Wednesday too.
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