Creating Workforce Stability in the Early Learning and Child Care Sector

EvalByte
Creating Workforce Stability in the Early
Learning and Child Care Sector
Written by Anja Dzunic (ECN Practicum Student)
What is the context of the project?
The foundation for life is laid during the early years and many
families rely on the childcare setting to provide high-quality
care for their children. Early childhood educators (ECE) play a
significant role in fostering children’s healthy development;
however, staffing shortages are a barrier to providing highquality
care to children and their families in Alberta. Despite
their important role, ECEs are poorly paid, face difficult work
environments, and lack the recognition they deserve (Roadmap,
2021).
Last year, a $3.8 billion provincial-federal child care agreement
was signed. It aims to improve affordability and accessibility of
quality child care for children and families in Alberta over the
next 5 years. Of this, $306 million is allocated to support the
early learning and child care (ELCC) workforce (Government of
Alberta, 2022).
ECN’s project in collaboration with the Association of Early
Childhood Educators in Alberta (AECEA) and Mount Royal
University aims to provide research and capacity that will
support the development of recommendations for establishing
workforce stability in the ELCC setting.
Key points
ECE HAVE A PIVOTAL ROLE
IN CHILDREN'S LIVES BUT
LACK RECOGNITION
AECEA ADVOCATES FOR
PROFESSIONALIZING THE
ELCC WORKFORCE
A STABLE WORKFORCE IS
BUILT ON CREDENTIALS,
COMPENSATION, AND
WORKPLACE CONDITIONS
THIS PROJECT SUPPORTS
BUILDING A FRAMEWORK
FOR A PROFESSIONAL ELCC
WORKFORCE
March 2022

Who is AECEA?
The Association of Early Childhood Educators in
Alberta (AECEA) represents the voice of the ELCC
workforce in Alberta. It sees a qualified workforce
as the foundation for a high-quality child care
system. Through advocacy, AECEA is setting the
path for the ELCC workforce to become a
recognized and respected, qualified, and wellcompensated
profession. One important step
towards achieving its mission is to create a stable
and motivated ELCC workforce (AECEA, n.d.).
What is the project working
on?
The project is still at the beginning stages.
Meetings with AECEA and other stakeholders took
place to discuss the scope of the project. The
project team is conducting a rapid literature review
and has identified three pillars of workforce
stability:
Compensation: wage, wage grid, benefits, and
paid sick days
Credentials: education and training, such as
post-secondary qualifications and continued
professional development
Workplace conditions: dedicated spaces for
ECEs' work and rest, effective resources,
supportive work environment and working
hours
The team is conducting further research to flesh
out the three pillars and gather evidence to
propose solid recommendations for
strengthening workforce stability in the ELCC
sector. The next steps of the project will focus on
more community engagement. Interviews with
ECE are being planned to collect further evidence
and tell their stories.
Why is the project
meaningful?
This project emphasizes the needs of the ELCC
workforce in Alberta. Without meeting their
needs, children’s needs cannot be met. The
project contributes to AECEA’s efforts in creating
a framework for building a professional ELCC
workforce. Findings will be used to advocate for
supported and qualified ECEs resulting in more
workforce stability and better standards.
Resources
Edmonton Council for Early Learning and
Care
Child Care Now
Canadian Child Care Federation - The
Canada-wide Child Care Plan: What You Need
to Know
Reference
AECEA. (n.d.). About us. https://aecea.ca/about-us
Government of Alberta. (2022). Federal-provincial child care agreement. https://www.alberta.ca/federal-provincial-child-careagreement.aspx
Roadmap to a quality early learning and child care system in Alberta. (2021, November). https://timeforchildcare.ca/wpcontent/uploads/2021/11/AB-ELCC-policy-road-map-FINAL-VERSION.pdf
Acknowledgment
We thank the Mount Royal University Bachelor of Child Studies students involved in this project for their contributions to this project.
March 2022