With funding from Women and Gender Equality Canada we are undertaking a 30 month project to advance a competitive provincial ECE wage grid, which is key to achieving a well-educated, fairly paid and respected ECE profession.

A key leader of this project will be Ana Valle Rivera. Ana is a parent, graduate student, ECE professional development facilitator and consultant. Ana has many aspirations but her current focus is to inspire positive change in the early year's field through sharing a vision of social wellness and social justice for all.

With input and advice from a range of equity-seeking groups across BC, including Indigenous colleagues, Ana and the rest of the project team will partner with the Early Childhood Educators of BC and Pacific Immigrant Resources Society to engage ECEs in advocating for the full implementation of a provincial ECE wage grid as recommended in the Roadmap to $10aDay. Based on the Next Step report, published with ECEBC, our recommended wage grid:

• Is competitive (offering wages comparable to similarly-qualified professionals including Strong Start facilitators in the current school system).
  
  
• Reflects and respects qualifications, experience, gender parity and equity.
  
  
• Encourages, and compensates for, additional education.
  
  
• Is regularly reviewed, updated and increased as required to ensure it remains competitive and equitable.
  
  
• Is publicly funded, and integrated with overall child care policy, recognizing and funding child care as a system.
  
  
• Is part of an overall strategy to improve wages, benefits, and working conditions of ECE professionals.

What's a wage grid?

A wage grid is a type of scale where wages go up based both on qualifications/nature of the position (Levels), and other factors like years of service (Steps). It helps make sure fair wages are paid to all educators and that these wages increase in a consistent and transparent way.

Here's an example of a wage grid from the Next Step report (with 2020 wages; wages in a 2023 grid will need to be significantly higher):

As part of this project, we are currently analyzing wage grids and wage supports used by other provinces and territories across Canada, to inform updated figures for the example grid above.

Through this project we're working to advance pandemic recovery, gender equality, and a broader paradigm shift where we respect young children and the professionals who support their early care and learning.

Do you have questions about Educator wages in BC?

Here are the Top Questions we’ve heard from Educators across BC - and the Answers too! Check it out…

Project Advisory Committee

We, the Wage Grid Advisory Committee, acknowledge that we gather to do our work from the various traditional and unceded territories of the First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples. We recognize the rights and importance of Indigenous people's connection and protection of the land, water and community. We thank the various Indigenous nations who continue to live on these lands and care for them, along with the waters and all that is above and below. We hold our hands up to the stewards of the lands, waters and sovereign nations whose territories where we each live on. We acknowledge our responsibilities to care for the lands which we inhabit as settlers.

Updated February 2023

The Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC gratefully acknowledges the support of Women and Gender Equality Canada.