Bruce County and Grey County are calling for provincial support for a multi-pronged approach to solving the Child Care Worker labour shortage.
Grey and Bruce counties met with the Ministry of Education during the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA)’s virtual conference this week. Both counties are experiencing a critical shortage of Early Childhood Education (ECE) workers to meet the demand. 225 additional ECE workers are needed in the region.
They told the minister the pandemic highlighted the importance of the provision of quality childcare services in order for the Ontario workforce to continue working to allow for a seamless recovery from this health crisis.
Both counties also said it is crucial to local prosperity to allow for access to early years services and licensed quality childcare services which encourage labour force participation, reduces poverty, and leads to better educational employment and learning outcomes.
.
