N.S. daycare operators say sector in crisis because of staff shortages, rising costs
Nova Scotia must hurry to roll out its promised wage increases for early childhood educators to address the "crisis" in child care caused by staff shortages and rising costs, according to some daycare operators in the province.
Bonnie Minard said Wednesday she is struggling to recruit and retain educators for her Halifax-area daycare and is worried about increased demand for care in September, when enrolment typically jumps. Minard, who runs the Portland Daycare Centre in Dartmouth, N.S., said she is trying to hire four full-time staff.
Nova Scotia has promised daycares a wage compensation program this fall to improve the pay of early childhood educators. This program is tied to the $605-million deal between the province and the federal government to create $10-a-day child-care spaces.
Minard said the wage compensation needs to be implemented immediately to improve staffing, keep daycare centres running and ensure the professionals working with children "are paid what they deserve."
"I don't think government understands the level of frustration and disrespect that ECEs (early childhood educators) feel," Minard said in an interview.
With the rising cost of supplies needed to run a daycare, the frozen child-care fees and the shortage of early childhood educators, "it's becoming more and more difficult for centres to operate," Minard said.
Qualified staff have been leaving daycares to work in Nova Scotia's pre-primary program since it was created in 2017, where there are higher salaries. Minard said finding staff has only become more challenging in the years since.
Pam Streeter, who runs Creative Kids Education Centre in Hammonds Plains, N.S., said she has had to delay the launch of a toddler child-care program that was set to start in September due to a lack of staff. She has been trying to recruit three full-time and five part-time staff for several months.
The wage floor for early childhood educators in Nova Scotia is between $15 and $19 per hour depending on level of training, though many operators, including Minard and Streeter, pay their staff above this rate.
Streeter said in an interview Wednesday that recruitment efforts would improve if the government announced the details of its wage compensation program, even if the pay raises came later.
"I could tell someone I'm interviewing today that `this is what you'd make today, but in two months or so guess what -- this is what you'll make,"' she said, referring to the expected wage upgrade. It would also encourage early childhood educators who've left the field to return, Streeter added.
Streeter said she worries Nova Scotia is losing potential early childhood education staff to other provinces that have already announced wage compensation programs, including neighbouring New Brunswick.
When asked about progress toward rolling out the ECE compensation, Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Becky Druhan said in an emailed statement that the province agrees "this work is decades overdue" and there will be an update in early fall.
Druhan said ensuring ECEs are compensated fairly is an "urgent priority" and the department is "working to advance this and put more money in their hands as soon as possible."
Nova Scotia has pledged to create 9,500 new early learning and child-care spaces by 2025, with 1,500 of those new seats in place by the end of this year. That promise is tied to its funding deal with Ottawa.
On July 10, Making Friends Preschool in Truro announced that it would be closing its doors. In a statement on social media, the child-care centre said the decision was due to rising rent and frozen daycare fees.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 17, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
The Indian couple killed in a wrong-way police chase crash on Highway 401 earlier this week has been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
2 charged after police find 'concerning and diverse' explosives at Manitoba home
Winnipeg police say they have arrested two people in their 20s after a large amount of explosives were found in a home outside of Winnipeg, Man.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Spain abolishes national bullfighting award in cultural shift
Spain scrapped an annual bullfighting award on Friday, prompting a rebuke from conservatives over a backlash against a centuries-old tradition they see as an art form but which has run into growing concern for animal welfare.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.