Pre-primary staff shortages lead to 'tired and burnt out' early childhood educators

Early childhood educators in the Annapolis Valley are raising concerns about staffing levels that they say have an effect on the delivery of the pre-primary program.

Their union president says the problem is not unique to the area.

A spokesperson for the Annapolis Valley Regional Centre for Education said there are 28 openings for ECEs in the region. According to an internal email shared with CBC, nine people were hired last month.

"People are so tired and burnt out that they're not able to bring their best self and be the best educator they can," one ECE said in an interview.

"The general public does not understand how strained the program is for educators and how that's impacting children in the classroom."

'You're just on crowd control'

CBC spoke with four ECEs in the Annapolis Valley region to understand day-to-day working conditions and the implications of staff shortages. They are not being identified because of concerns they have about job protection.

Each of them talked about the added demands of managing a class that is understaffed. Just taking a break can be a challenge, they say.

"You're just on crowd control. So any child that doesn't demand attention just doesn't get any."

The ECEs who talked with CBC said the challenge of filling gaps is made worse by a substitute system that does not require people to have early learning training and pays anyone — even those with specialized training — less than ECEs on staff.

The rate for a substitute is $15.76 an hour. The current rate for permanent ECEs ranges between $16.80 and $23.77 based on qualifications, but that is slated to increase following a contract that was ratified in 2022.

"You're not going to have quality substitutes if you're paying them that, and people who would become a substitute would quickly leave," said another ECE.

"Nobody can afford to live off of $15.76 an hour. Like, you can get paid more at Home Depot and McDonald's than that, and we're working with children all day long."

Retroactive pay still owed from 2022 contract

The ECEs say they know people who have left the job because of stress caused by the working conditions.

They say morale is further depressed because the regional centre for education has still not provided them with retroactive pay as part of a contract reached in November 2022 following job action.

"It's really disheartening," said an ECE. "They couldn't drag their feet any harder."

Sandra Mullen, the president of the Nova Scotia Government & General Employees' Union, said the challenges ECEs in the Annapolis Valley are facing are similar to those ECEs in the South Shore and Tri-County regional centres for education experience.

The NSGEU also represents ECEs in those regional centres and the union has filed grievances against all three employers because of the delayed retroactive payments.

"In these inflationary times, that promise to pay you does not pay the bills," said Mullen, adding she's concerned the situation could drive people into other work.

"The employer cannot afford to lose one trained staff [person] in that program."

A representative for the Annapolis Valley Regional Centre for Education was not made available for an interview.

In an email, spokesperson Kristen Loyst said the region is "continuously recruiting ECEs and other in-demand positions."

There is an ongoing recruitment campaign using ads on social media, websites, radio and streaming services, and human resources staff also attend job fairs, said Loyst.

Loyst said retroactive pay will begin flowing in March.

After the latest contract was signed in 2022, a process was followed to align pay for ECEs with people doing similar work in other regions.

Loyst said that process started last January and rates were agreed on in October. Payroll staff have since been working to update the system to allow payments to be processed, she said. 

Efforts for ECEs outside pre-primary

Along with the Tri-County, South Shore and Annapolis Valley regional centres, the Halifax and Strait regions also have job postings for ECEs.

Mullen said the system is paying now for the lack of preparation that took place ahead of the former Liberal government launching the current pre-primary program.

There weren't enough people in the sector at the time and regulated daycares were struggling to attract and keep ECEs. Adding pre-primary to the mix without preparing for the necessary staff demands or addressing the fact that there were compensation differences for ECEs working in pre-primary versus child-care centres made staffing a problem for everyone, said Mullen.

The current provincial government has attempted to boost recruitment through wage increases and the creation of a benefits program for ECEs working at regulated child-care centres, and waiving tuition fees for people taking the ECE training course at the Nova Scotia Community College.

Although the provincial government oversees compensation rates for ECEs working at regulated centres, pay for ECEs in the pre-primary system is negotiated as part of contracts between unions and regional centres for education.