Federal and provincial funding to support recruitment, expand child-care access
Early childhood educators across Manitoba are getting a significant wage increase, the largest in provincial history, through funding from the Canada-Manitoba Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.
Federal Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages Patty Hajdu and Manitoba Education Minister Tracy Schmidt announced the increase Friday, saying it aims to strengthen the child-care workforce and help expand access for families.
“In order to provide families in Canada with high-quality, affordable child care, we need to support the early childhood education workforce with better compensation,” said Hajdu. “Development that happens in early childhood plays a big role in future learning, so it’s important to keep highly trained, qualified people in this field and also attract future educators.”
The new provincial wage grid, retroactive to April 1, boosts hourly pay by up to $5 depending on certification level and centre size. This year’s update targets frontline educators.
“Early childhood educators are the foundation of a humming and productive economy,” said Schmidt. “Because of their work, parents across Manitoba can go to school or build careers that power our province. With this historic wage increase we are valuing the role ECEs play in our province.”
The federal and provincial governments will provide $60.4 million to licensed and funded child-care facilities to support wage increases — $56.2 million from Ottawa and $4.2 million from Manitoba. A two per cent boost to base operating grants, totalling $4.55 million, is also included.
“This is both a historic and monumental day for ECEs across the province,” said Jodie Kehl, executive director of the Manitoba Child Care Association. “ECEs are the essential foundation on which we will develop a high quality ELCC system for Manitoba children and families.”
The five-year Canada-Manitoba agreement, signed in 2021, directs $1.2 billion in federal funds toward building a $10-a-day child-care system and expanding access for children under seven. A February extension added $1.9 billion in funding through 2031.
More information and the full wage grid are available at gov.mb.ca.
