Advocates say that early childhood educators in Ontario are among the lowest paid in the country, and raising their wages is critical to the success of the 10-dollar-a-day child-care program.
Part of the agreement that Ontario signed in joining the national program was setting a wage floor of 18 dollars an hour in 2022 and increasing it by one dollar a year, up to 25 dollars.
A policy paper released today says the current rate of 19 dollars an hour makes the effective minimum wage the third lowest in the country.
Advocates say that many centres across the province are limiting enrolment or closing rooms because of a staffing shortage primarily driven by the low wages.