Early childhood educators in Alberta are renewing calls for a province-wide wage grid that would tie pay to an educator’s qualifications, years of experience, and job responsibilities. The proposal, released by the Association of Early Childhood Educators of Alberta (AECEA), aims to improve recruitment and retention in the child-care sector while ensuring more consistent wages across the province.
The proposed wage grid would establish minimum hourly wages for Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 early childhood educators, with wages increasing through seven experience levels. It also recommends higher pay for supervisors and child-care centre directors, recognizing additional responsibilities and leadership roles.
Currently, Alberta uses a wage top-up system, where the provincial government provides an hourly supplement on top of wages paid by employers. However, educators say the current model does not adequately reward experience, and many workers continue to earn below the living wage in several parts of the province. According to AECEA, a Level 1 educator currently earns an average of about $20.21 per hour, while Level 2 and Level 3 educators earn approximately $23.75 and $29.70 per hour, including the provincial top-up.
AECEA argues that introducing a standardized wage grid would help stabilize Alberta’s child-care workforce by reducing staff turnover and encouraging more people to pursue careers in early childhood education. The organization says most Canadian provinces and territories have already adopted—or committed to developing—similar wage grids, leaving Alberta and Ontario as the only provinces without one.
The association estimates that implementing the proposed wage grid would cost approximately $1.7 billion annually, requiring increased provincial investment in the child-care sector. While the Alberta government says it is committed to supporting recruitment and retention through its existing workforce initiatives, it has not indicated that it plans to adopt the proposed wage grid. Officials note that Alberta’s certified early childhood educator workforce has grown significantly in recent years under the current funding model.
AECEA says the updated wage grid is intended to serve as a starting point for discussions with educators, child-care providers, and the provincial government, with the long-term goal of creating a fair, competitive, and sustainable compensation system for Alberta’s early childhood education workforce.