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County Warden release statement regarding Provincial Child Care Workforce Strategy

December 4, 2023   ·   0 Comments

Simcoe County Warden Basil Clark released the following statement about the Provincial Child Care Workforce Strategy:

“Our Child Care sector is extremely important to our families, our economy and the health, wellbeing, and development of our youth. Last week, we were informed about the Ontario Government’s comprehensive Child Care Workforce Strategy and its investment in Registered Early Childhood Educators (RECEs) across Ontario and here in Simcoe County. We were pleased to see that this strategy is comprehensive and is well-funded to provide increased wages and additional support for the recruitment of high quality, qualified Early Childhood Educators across the province. We thank the province for increasing the starting wage of over 650 RECEs in Simcoe County, employed by Child Care operators enrolled in the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) system, to $23.86/hour in 2024 from the planned $20 per hour,” reads the statement. 

“This wage enhancement builds on actions taken by the province through the introduction in 2022 of a new wage floor for RECEs working in settings participating in the CWELCC system, which includes annual $1 per hour wage increases beginning in 2023. The increased salaries will help recruit new RECEs and support staff retention,” the statement continued. 

“As labour shortages have been a challenge in this important sector, this increased funding will ensure wages more closely align with industry standards and hopefully support recruitment efforts. The hiring of more RECEs will also support the County’s goals as we continue building up licenced child care in our region by creating over 3,000 new child care spaces. Earlier this fall, County of Simcoe Council took significant action to building up futures through the approval of the region’s new Early Learning and Child Care Directed Growth Strategy, a five-point plan that creates spaces, increases affordability, and builds knowledge of the positive impacts that a strengthened early learning and Child Care system will have in our communities. I’m pleased that both the County and the province continue to invest in new strategies and supports for this important sector to assist workers, families and our economy,” the statement concluded.

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