Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care (OCBCC) and the Association of Early Childhood Educators (AECEO) held Queen’s Park press conference at 10am on November 4th to respond to announcement.
Advocates and Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) are reacting with strong concern following the release of new provincial funding guidelines confirming a freeze on the wage floor and regular $1-per-hour annual wage increases for ECEs working in Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care programs in 2027.
The OCBCC and AECEO warn that this policy decision by the Ontario government will worsen an already severe staffing crisis, forcing licensed child care operators to keep rooms closed and leaving thousands of working parents stuck on waitlists for child care.
“Freezing the wage floor and halting the annual one-dollar increase in 2027 is a devastating provincial policy decision for a sector already struggling to retain workers,” said Carolyn Ferns, Public Policy Coordinator for the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care. “Ontario cannot build economic growth or open thousands of promised child care spaces when provincial guidelines lock the workforce into stagnating pay. Premier Doug Ford’s government must step up with provincial funding to ensure decent work and fair pay.”
The newly released guidelines, sent to child care operators this week, impose a freeze on the ECE wage floor at $25.86 at a time when inflation and the cost of living continue to pressure early learning professionals. While federal funding under the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care agreement has significantly reduced fees for families, advocates emphasize that the provincial government is failing to pull its weight by refusing to fund sustainable workforce compensation.
“Educators are facing immense financial pressure, and hearing that our wage floor and annual dollar increases are being frozen in 2027 feels like a complete disregard for our profession,” said Amber Straker, Executive Director of the Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario. “Every day, we see child care rooms sitting empty and waitlists growing because centres simply cannot keep staff. We hear from educators that while they love the work they do, passion does not pay the bills. Freezing wage progression will only sharpen Ontario’s child care crisis. It will force even more dedicated educators out of the field in search of higher wages and compensation packages that include benefits and pensions.”
Early learning and child care serve as foundational economic infrastructure across Ontario, enabling parental workforce participation—particularly for mothers—and driving broader economic productivity. However, the stability of the entire sector relies entirely on retaining qualified ECEs.
To maintain purchasing power, ECE wages need to rise at least 2-3% to meet projected Consumer Price Index inflation for 2027. It would need to be higher to also continue to address years of wage inequity in ELCC.
By freezing the wage floor and halting the modest $1 annual wage increases in 2027, the provincial funding guidelines create a policy barrier to workforce retention. Child care programs across Ontario report that low compensation remains the primary driver of educator turnover. Without competitive wages and cost-of-living adjustments, licensed providers cannot recruit or retain the staff required to open new spaces or even maintain existing capacity, directly stalling the provincial rollout of affordable child care.
The OCBCC and AECEO’s Care Counts campaign calls on Premier Doug Ford and the Ontario Ministry of Education to immediately revise the 2027 funding guidelines and commit to the following urgent measures:
- Unfreeze ECE Wages: Immediately restore and enhance annual wage increases.
- Develop a Wage Grid: Implement a provincial wage grid for Early Learning and Child Care starting at $35-$45 per hour for RECEs and $28 per hour for early years staff, annual increases, extended health benefits, and a pension plan.
- Increase provincial funding: The next provincial budget should at least match federal investments in licensed child care, ensuring programs can meet real operational costs.
Advocates held a press conference in the Queen’s Park media studo at 10am on November 4th to respond to announcement. More information to come.
Media Contacts:
Carolyn Ferns, Policy Coordinator Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care carolyn@childcareontario.org | 647-218-1275
Amber Straker, Executive Director Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario | astraker@aeceo.ca