Ontario Announces New Child Care Workforce Strategy and Safe Arrival and Dismissal Policy

The government is launching the most significant and comprehensive Child Care Workforce Strategy in the province’s history that will deliver increased wages to Registered Early Childhood Educators (RECEs) and a multipronged strategy to recruit and retain qualified educators.

As of January 2024, starting wages will increase by 19.3 per cent for RECEs employed by child care operators enrolled in the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care system to $23.86/hour from $20/hour.

Wages will increase annually by $1/hour per year (on top of the existing increase under the federal program).

This strategy supports concrete measures to ensure career laddering and entry into the ECE profession as well as improve transparency and reduce burden for students in the field.

The provincial government is also cutting red tape for employers and providing more flexibility in staffing their programs and bringing further awareness to the value of the profession.

Starting January 1, 2024, all licensed child care operators will be required to implement a Safe Arrival and Dismissal Policy. This policy will ensure that when a child does not arrive at the licensed child care program or is not picked up as expected, parents will be informed in line with existing protocols within Ontario’s publicly funded schools. 

The provincial government has already cut child care fees by 50 per cent, and this announcement helps to lay the foundation for the creation of 86,000 new spaces by 2026. 

Learn More: https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1003833/ontario-announces-comprehensive-strategy-to-boost-child-care-workforce-and-protect-children