Shortage of early childhood educators forces child care centre in High Park YMCA to close

A shortage of early childhood educators is forcing the infant care centre in the Toronto High Park YMCA to close its doors in the new year.

The Toronto High Park YMCA Child Care Centre says starting in January 2024 they will not be able to continue offering infant care at its Dundas Street location. The organization says it has been working hard to recruit early childhood educators, however, there is a sector-wide shortage at play.

“It is symbolic of a larger challenge, not only at our YMCA at High Park but our YMCAs across Toronto and I would argue many childcares across the province,” said Jamison Steeve, the chief strategy officer of YMCA GTA.

“There’s a human resource shortage in childcare, there’s a lack of ECEs to provide the care that we really need and value for our youngest learners. …this is the canary in the coal mine.”

The non-profit says it has been advocating for a workforce strategy to address some of the recruitment challenges child care providers face including the need for governments to fund higher wages.

“I think we saw it during COVID-19 the heroes of the pandemic were often those people on the front lines, service providers. Now that the pandemic is over we need to find ways to value them again,” says Steeve.

Child care advocates say Ontario’s early childhood educators are among the lowest-paid in Canada, making on average $19 per hour and that without a raise, the province’s $10-a-day childcare plan won’t happen.

“We can talk about opening new centres and building new spaces, the government talks about that all the time, but without early childhood educators it’s just four walls and not a child care program and I think this is the missing piece in the Canada-wide child care plan,” says Carolyn Ferns, policy coordinator with the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care.

“We can get to $10 a day for families but if not enough of them are accessing those spaces what does it mean?”

Education Minister Stephen Lecce said he would release a workforce strategy in the fall that includes a boost to compensation though nothing has been announced.