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What's
New for 2010?
To reflect changes to market rates in Manitoba, as well as the relationship of relative salaries between jobs in the scale, a 1.5% increase from the Market Competitive Salary Guideline Scale 2009 was recommended by PeopleFirst HR Services.
MCCA has provided copies of the Market Competitive Salary Guideline Scale for Early Learning and Child Care Centres 2010 to the Premier of Manitoba, the Minister of Family Services & Consumer Affairs, the Minister of Finance and the board of directors of the child care centres that are MCCA members.
There is no increase to the operating grant or user fees in 2010-2011. Facilities have incurred a wide range of additional operating expenses in recent years, leaving them under considerable strain to pay competitive wages and absorb additional operating expenses whether employed in a child care centre or a family child care provider.
Child centres continue to report that hiring ECEs, CCAs, and substitutes is a major problem, even during an economic slowdown and recession. Some programs, particularly in rural areas, have reduced their enrollment or shortened hours of service due to the staff shortage. The school divisions are often cited as the biggest recruiter of ECE’s and CCAs out of the child care system, due to higher wages, shorter work days, and many school holidays.
We thank our members for the financial resources used to fund MCCA’s programs and services, one of which is the development and distribution of the salary guideline scale.
MCCA believes the Government of Manitoba must ensure the programs it regulates and licenses are able to recruit, retain, and fairly compensate all the personnel required by the Community Child Care Standards Act. On behalf of our members, we will continue to work with the Government of Manitoba to ensure continued progress toward the goal of market competitive wages and benefits for the entire childcare workforce in Manitoba.
The History
In 2007, MCCA retained People First HR Services to provide professional assistance in establishing a market competitive wage scale to enable the child care sector to compete more effectively with other sectors that have similar/comparable jobs. The development of the market competitive salary scale included an analysis of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of Executive Directors, Early Childhood Educators, and Child Care Assistants. These are described in the job descriptions included in MCCA’s Human Resource Management Guide for Early Childhood Programs. Early Childhood Programs that implement the Market Competitive Salary Guideline Scale should also be using the job descriptions from the Human Resource Management Guide.
MCCA indexed the salary guideline scale by 3.8% for 2008-2009 to reflect the increase to average weekly earnings for all employees in Manitoba, July 2008.
In 2008, the Government of Manitoba committed to provide a 20% overall funding increase over a five year period to establish a pension plan, increase wages, and establish a minimum base wage base for early childhood educators. While we appreciate the recognition and effort, MCCA knows that commitment will not resolve the childcare workforce shortage, and has advised the Minister of Family Services that the plan to fund 6500 new spaces over the five year period will not be achievable without a childcare workforce.
The Government of Manitoba announced a down payment on competitive wages for some of the child care workforce on February 11, 2009. A wage adjustment fund will help eligible funded centres and nursery schools to increase the wages of early childhood educators to at least $15.50 per hour and child care assistants in training to at least $12.25 per hour. Both of these wages are very close to Level 1 of MCCA’s Market Competitive Salary Guideline Scale for Group Child Care Centres, 2008. There are 5 levels to the guideline scale, but centres report they do not have the financial resources to compensate employees whose years of service and experience are beyond entry level. |
