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<strong>EvalByte</strong><br />
Early Childhood Educator <strong>Wage</strong> <strong>Grid</strong><br />
Written by Abhiroob Saha, Mary-Frances Smith, and Miranda Brown (ECN Research Assistants)<br />
What is the context of the project?<br />
Early childhood experiences, from birth to age five, can have<br />
long-lasting impacts on long-term well-being and health. As a<br />
result, having accessible and high-quality early learning and<br />
childcare (ELCC) programs can be critical for a child’s healthy<br />
growth and development. Because of this, the federal<br />
government is committing an unprecedented $3.8 billion to<br />
create a national system for ELCC (GoC, 2021). With a history<br />
of early childhood educators (ECEs) leaving the field, it is<br />
becoming essential to determine the supporting factors that<br />
achieve long-term sector stability for ECEs and that support<br />
child development outcomes.<br />
The main objective of this project is to create a values-based<br />
wage grid focusing on workforce stability and professional<br />
career building for ECEs in Alberta.<br />
Who is <strong>AECEA</strong>?<br />
<strong>AECEA</strong> is the Association of Early Childhood Educators of<br />
Alberta. <strong>AECEA</strong> amplifies the voice of ECEs by advocating for<br />
higher educational standards, better wages and working<br />
conditions, and comprehensive system supports. Its mission is<br />
to transform Alberta’s ELCC workforce into a recognized<br />
profession. <strong>AECEA</strong>’s vision is to ensure that well-qualified,<br />
Key points<br />
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT<br />
IS COMMITTING $3.8<br />
BILLION TO CREATE A<br />
NATIONAL ELCC SYSTEM<br />
THE WAGE GRID<br />
RECOMMENDATIONS ARE<br />
BASED ON PEER-REVIEWED<br />
RESEARCH AND AN<br />
ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN<br />
EXPLORATORY<br />
CONVERSATIONS WERE<br />
CONDUCTED WITH ELCC<br />
ASSOCIATIONS FROM OTHER<br />
PROVINCES THAT HAVE WAGE<br />
GRID RECOMMENDATIONS<br />
A WAGE GRID MAY BRING<br />
WORKFORCE STABILITY AND<br />
PROVIDE CAREER BUILDING<br />
FOR ECES<br />
August 2022
well-compensated ECEs are respected as<br />
professionals, valued for their essential work, and<br />
supported in providing high-quality child care for<br />
Alberta’s children and families.<br />
What is the project working<br />
on?<br />
The project is currently in its middle stages. A<br />
literature review has been completed examining<br />
research on ECE compensation. Market research<br />
has also been conducted on ECE pay across<br />
Canada and careers comparable to ECEs, such as<br />
teachers or health care workers. Exploratory<br />
conversations have also been conducted with<br />
professional associations from other provinces to<br />
gauge their experiences in building a wage grid.<br />
Recently, the project team has drafted a valuesbased<br />
wage grid based on this information. Ethics<br />
applications are currently being completed to<br />
conduct interviews and focus groups with ECEs,<br />
child care owners/operators, and allied<br />
stakeholders. The interviews will garner feedback<br />
that will assist in finalizing a wage grid to present<br />
to community stakeholders such as <strong>AECEA</strong>, Child<br />
Care Now, the Muttart Foundation, and the<br />
government.<br />
Why is the project<br />
meaningful?<br />
This project aims to create Alberta's first wage<br />
grid recommendation for ECEs. A wage grid can<br />
contain the values that <strong>AECEA</strong> upholds of<br />
continued professional learning, stable<br />
workplace conditions, and fair compensation with<br />
a long-term outcome of workforce stability,<br />
professionalism, and quality ELCC. The hope is<br />
that this wage grid will create a foundation of<br />
what is fair compensation for ECEs in Alberta and<br />
lead to personal financial security and, therefore,<br />
workforce stability.<br />
Resources<br />
<strong>AECEA</strong> News Release: Alberta and Canada<br />
sign child-care agreement<br />
Next Step: A Competitive, Publicly Funded<br />
Provincial <strong>Wage</strong> <strong>Grid</strong> is the Solution to BC’s<br />
ECE Shortage<br />
Ontario New Fact Sheet: CWELCC <strong>Wage</strong><br />
Improvement Funds<br />
Manitoba Early Learning and Child Care <strong>Wage</strong><br />
<strong>Grid</strong><br />
CCCF: ECE Salary Information<br />
Reference<br />
Bridges. M, Fuller. B, Huang. D.S., & Hamre. B.K. (2011). Strengthening the early childhood workforce: How wage incentives may boost<br />
rraining and job stability, Early Education & Development, 22(6), 1009-1029, https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2010.514537<br />
GoC. (2021). $10-a-day child care for families in Alberta. Edmonton, Alberta: Government of Canada, Prime Ministers’ Office. URL<br />
McDonald, P., Thorpe, K., & Irvine, S. (2018). Low pay but still we stay: Retention in early childhood education and care. Journal of<br />
Industrial Relations, 60(5), 647-668. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022185618800351<br />
Torquati, J. C., Raikes, H., & Huddleston-Casas, C. A. (2007). Teacher education, motivation, compensation, workplace support, and links<br />
to quality of center-based child care and teachers’ intention to stay in the early childhood profession. Early Childhood Research Quarterly,<br />
22(2), 261-275. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2007.03.004<br />
Acknowledgment<br />
We acknowledge the research team of this project Miranda Brown, Abhiroop Saha, and Mary-Frances Smith, as well as the support they<br />
received from <strong>AECEA</strong> board members. We also appreciate the collaboration with Dr. Rob Buschmann (CUP), Jodie Kehl (Manitoba Child<br />
Care Association Inc.), Emily Gawlick (Early Childhood Educators of British Columbia), Rachel Vickerson (Association of Early Childhood<br />
Educators Ontario), Carolyn Ferns (Child Care Ontario), and the Edmonton Council for Early Learning and Care.<br />
August 2022
Eval<br />
Byte<br />
What is an <strong>EvalByte</strong>?<br />
The <strong>EvalByte</strong> series are snapshot overviews of the<br />
Evaluation Capacity Network's ongoing evaluation<br />
and research projects. Additional resources are also<br />
shared in these <strong>EvalByte</strong>s.<br />
Why you need to read it.<br />
Our <strong>EvalByte</strong>s will give you the opportunity to learn<br />
not only about our current projects, but<br />
also about<br />
our partners<br />
collaborative research<br />
evaluation practice<br />
community engagement
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