‘We were always considered babysitters,’ says one early childhood educator
A new wage grid for early childhood educators in Newfoundland and Labrador comes into effect Saturday, April 1, but many in the field say it doesn't go far enough to recognize the value of their work. - BBC Creative/Unsplash photoST. JOHN'S, N.L. — The woman expertly sweeps the little girl’s hair up into a ponytail. At the same time, a little boy cuddles close to the woman’s knees.“Wow!” a small group of children squeal in unison, just a foot away from the woman.
ECEs who spoke with SaltWire had mixed reviews of the wage grid. Some called it a good start, others called it a slap in the face, but all of them said it still doesn’t go far enough to recognize the value of their work. “Parents will still come up to me from children I had years ago and tell me about the impact I had on their lives. I know I made a difference. I know I did.”“Glorified babysitters. We were never given the respect that we’re educators, that we were part of child development physically, emotionally, socially, intellectually, mentally — the whole development. We’ve never, ever been respected for that.
“Not all centres were paying the ECEs fairly, so now with the wage grid, based on your levels, you know what you’re supposed to earn, versus when each centre decided to pay you what they think you deserve,” she said.
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