One-time payment, wage-top up coming to Alberta's early childhood educators

Early childhood educators (ECEs) in Alberta will receive a one-time payment and a wage top-up in an effort to recruit and retain staff.

The province says ECEs are crucial to the Alberta economy so parents have peace of mind while they work.

Existing wage top-ups for all paid hours will increase as of Jan. 1, 2023 by up to $2 per hour.

“The Government of Alberta supports parental choice in childcare and the workers who help provide it,” said Mickey Amery, minister of children’s services. “This announcement will help retain staff who are currently caring for our children, and attract new workers in child care. Because every dollar matters, this one-time payment will provide affordability relief for these hardworking Albertans heading into Christmas and the new year.”

ECEs who worked an average of 30 hours and up per week and continue to work in December will also be eligible to receive a one-time payment of $900.

Those working fewer than 30 hours per week will receive a $450 payment.

The payments will come from an investment of about $13.3 million in federal funding.

The province says it will also invest $2.72 million in provincial funding for the same one-time payments for certified ECEs working in out-of-school care programs.

Wage top-ups for ECEs will come from an investment of $165 million in federal funding, while top-ups for ECEs in out-of-school programs will be funded by the province at a cost of about $22.4 million.

“We could not build our Canada-wide early learning and child-care system without the dedicated workforce of early childhood educators,” said Karina Gould, federal minister of families, children and social development. “The Government of Canada is committed to supporting early childhood educators and the announcement in Alberta, including significant federal funding, is an essential step in ensuring the work of these professional educators is valued.”

In an effort to attract new ECEs, the provincial and federal governments have doubled the enrolment capacity for the free Level 1 child care orientation course and made the course available to anyone in Alberta, not just those currently working in child care.