Manitoba, feds pledge $19 million to enhance pay, recruit early childcare workforce

WINNIPEG — The federal and provincial governments have unveiled their plan to extend the Canada-Manitoba Early Learning and Childcare Agreement, earmarking $19 million in initial investments to bolster pay and benefits for front-line workers.

Federal Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Karina Gould and Manitoba Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Wayne Ewasko made the announcement Tuesday.

The province said the total investment is pegged at close to $98 million over four years. Of that, $15.5 million will provide operating grants for over 1,800 spaces, increase funding for francophone and Indigenous programming, extend supports for children with additional needs, and help rural and northern communities expand capacity.

The plan also calls for $12.6 million to be spent by the end of March to increase wages and support the lowest-paid workers, bridging gaps until the wage grid proposed under the agreement is implemented. The feds expect roughly 1,000 workers will see a bump in pay as a result.

“We know that there is a gap,” Ewasko said. “That’s where part of the $19.2 million is going to go to try to bring some of those individuals up in terms of their wages, whether it’s an ECE or a childcare assistant.”

Ewasko said level two early childhood educators will see a bump to about $21 an hour, while childcare assistants will rise to about $13 an hour.

Manitoba Childcare Association executive director Jodie Kehl said low wages are a common stumbling block to keeping skilled staff.

“The greatest barrier is salary. It’s not a surprise probably to anyone that early childhood educators have not been paid what they deserve to be paid,” Kehl said. “Children don’t start learning the day before they go to kindergarten. The greatest brain development is from zero to five years of age, and so the important work that early learning childcare offers to children in many ways is just so critical.”

She said the announcement will help stabilize the current workforce while attracting new talent.

The province is also offering one-year top-ups of the percentage offered by Manitoba to the pension plan for centres and RRSP programs that home childcare provides. Gould called this an innovative step in retaining early childhood education staff.

“We know in order to retain people in a workforce, it’s not just about existing wages and ensuring that those are fair and they are fairly compensated, but also that there are benefits available to them,“ Gould said. “Manitoba, I think, is putting forward important incentives for people to remain in the workforce and recognizing years of service.”

The province says the extended agreement also includes two new initiatives launching in the coming months – a renovation expansion grant to help non-profit facilities expand their existing spaces, and more opportunities for childcare assistant certification training by improving access to training through subsidized costs and expanded programming.