Amendments to the Northwest Territories’ (NWT) Early Learning and Child Care Regulations came into effect November 14, 2024. The updated regulations introduce a wage grid and certification process for licensed centre-based staff.

The wage grid establishes the minimum rate of hourly pay for employees based on the community they work in, the type of position they hold, years of experience, education, Indigenous knowledge, and Northern experience.

With the updated regulations, centre-based staff who work with children are required to be certified. The certification process formally recognizes education and work experience. All employees working with children in licensed centre-based facilities on or before November 14, 2024, will be given a provisional certification which will be valid for four months. Individual educators must apply for and become certified before the end of the four-month period. New employees hired after November 14, 2024, will be required to submit an application for the certification process to the Department of Education, Culture, and Employment prior to beginning working in a licensed centre-based facility.

With the regulations in force, funding programs to support home-based and centre-based facilities can be fully implemented. This includes Dedicated Funding and Flexible Operating Funding for licensed centre-based facilities, and Operating Funding and Five-Year Retention Funding for licensed home-based facilities.

These changes are intended to support the recruitment and retention of early learning and child care staff and continue to work towards meeting the goals of the Canada-Northwest Territories Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement and the 2030 Early Learning and Child Care Strategy.

A What We Heard Report summarizes feedback received during the engagement that occurred between August 15 and September 16, 2024.

Quotes:

“Early childhood educators are essential in supporting the learning and development of children across the Northwest Territories and their voices have been vital as the GNWT has worked to update the Early Learning and Child Care Regulations and work collaboratively to strengthen this sector. With the updated regulations we are taking an important step forward in improving how funding is allocated and developing a minimum rate of pay for centre-based staff to improve the recruitment and retention within this important workforce.”

• Caitlin Cleveland, NWT Minister of Education, Culture and Employment

“Our $10 a day child care system simply would not be possible without the hard-working and dedicated professional educators who care for and teach our children, day in and day out. By recognizing and investing in high-quality educators, we are creating a stronger early childhood workforce while ensuring the success of our child care system for generations to come.”

• Jenna Sudds, Canada’s Minister of Families, Children and Social Development

Quick Facts

• Eleven engagement sessions were held on the proposed changes to the Early Learning and Child Care Regulations with a total of 78 participants representing Indigenous Governments, centre-based facility operators, licensed home-based facility operators and early childhood educators. Additionally, 14 written responses were received.

• Under the Canada-Northwest Territories Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, the NWT has committed to increasing the percentage of child care workers providing regulated child care in the territory who fully meet the Northwest Territories’ credentialing and/or certification requirements to at least 30% by fiscal year 2025 to 2026 and 60% by fiscal year 2030 to 2031.
   

Related Links

• Canada-Northwest Territories Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement 2021-2026
• Proposed changes to the Early Learning and Child Care Regulations
• Early Learning and Child Care Regulations: What We Heard Report
• Certification process for centre-based employees
• Wage grid for centre-based employees

For media requests, please contact:

Briony Grabke

Manager, Public Affairs and Communications

Department of Education, Culture and Employment

Government of the Northwest Territories

Briony_Grabke@gov.nt.ca

867-767-9352 ext. 71073