REGINA — Early childhood educators in Saskatchewan will be on the receiving end of a wage hike, announced by the provincial government earlier this week.
The provincial and federal government have shared that they will be funding a wage increase of up to $3 per hour for qualified early childhood educators, in order to support the current and incoming workforce.
“Our government is thankful for the hard work Saskatchewan ECEs do every day,” said Education Minister Dustin Duncan. “This investment will recognize that hard work while creating an incentive for people to consider becoming ECEs themselves.”
A joint investment of $9.6 million will fund the increase, which will be retroactive to July 21, 2021.
Increases will vary between $1 and $3 based on certification levels, which the Ministry of Education is currently collecting from child care centres.
Employers will likely be able to access the funds to provide to staff by this coming December, said the province.
“This [wage increase] will help support the recognition of ECEs and the significant impact they have on a child's development and future,” said Georgia Lavallee, executive director of the Saskatchewan Early Childhood Association.
The increase in wages for certified educators is expected to improve retention rates in the province,
The pledged wage increase is part of a recent extension to the Canada-Saskatchewan Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, which centres ona on-time $17 million funding commitment from the feds.
After the wage increase is distributed, the remaining balance of the $17 million will be used towards funding accelerated certificate or diploma training, to encourage individuals into a career in early childhood education.
This will include providing bursaries for full-time students in programs and supporting working educators taking part in professional learning and skill enhancement courses.
The provincial government is also pledging to use the increase as a baseline for developing a cross-province wage grid for educators, to be implemented by the end of 2022-23.
