Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement

Publication date: September 5, 2018

Early childhood educators (ECEs) are vital to providing quality care, connection, and supportive learning environments for our children. That’s why, effective December 2023, ECEs working at eligible licensed child care facilities will be eligible for a wage lift of $2 per hour. This is the most recent in a series of increases to the Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement, bringing the total wage enhancement to $6 per hour. The total wage enhancement will increase the median wage for ECEs up to about $29 per hour.

As part of British Columbia’s Early Care and Learning Recruitment and Retention Strategy, Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) working in eligible licensed child care facilities can receive a $6 per hour wage enhancement. This is the fourth wage enhancement offered to licensed ECEs since September 2018.

Additional funding for statutory benefits is provided at a rate of 19.70% (effective January 1, 2024).

Participation in the Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement (ECE-WE) is optional, and child care providers can apply at any time. Parents and facility staff can contact the Child Care Service Centre for information about a facility’s wage enhancement opt-in status.


On this page:


2024-25 Renewal - Important timelines for child care providers

  • May 1: Approved child care providers can submit their monthly ECE enrolment reports through the ECE Reporting Tool starting May 1 to receive April 2024 funding. Payments are calculated based on the total number of hours worked each month, which is why ECE-WE is reported and paid after the end of each month.

Eligibility

 

Requirements and guidelines

To apply, the facility must be approved for the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative (CCFRI). As of September 1, 2023, facilities offering care to children in preschool and/or school aged children (Grade 1 and above) are eligible for the CCFRI and must be enrolled to be eligible for the ECE-WE. Facilities not approved to participate in the CCFRI as of September 1, 2023 will no longer be eligible to participate in the ECE-WE. For information about when and how to apply, please visit the CCFRI website.

$10 a Day ChildCareBC Centres are also eligible to apply.

All ECEs, including those who are also owner/operators of a licensed child care facility, are eligible for the wage enhancement if they are directly employed by a licensed child care facility that meets the child care provider requirements above.

Review the full eligibility requirements:

 

Emergency closures

Child Care Operating Funding base funding may be paid when a centre is temporarily closed due to an emergency. Eligible circumstances include:

  • Unplanned closures due to an evacuation order or similar restrictions issued by a First Nation, provincial, federal, municipal government or health authority
  • Natural disasters
  • External circumstances outside the provider’s control, at the ministry’s discretion

Emergencies that were preventable or originated within the centre, and permanent closures are not eligible.

To ensure consistent fee reductions for parents, closures outside of the provider’s control may also be eligible for Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative funding if the centre is approved to collect parent fees.

Early childhood educator wage enhancement funding is also available during periods of unplanned temporary closure if the provider continues to pay staff wages.

To report an emergency closure and request funding, please email CCOF@gov.bc.ca. The ministry will review your request and advise on the next steps. Include the following information when you contact the ministry:

  • Name of child care centre
  • Facility ID (e.g. F/G-XXXXXX-XXXXXX)
  • Closure date
  • Expected reopen date
  • Reasons for closure
  • Type of funding being requested

 

Apply or renew

Once approved

Providers approved to participate in the ECE-WE are required to:

  • notify their eligible ECEs and collect a written acknowledgement
  • distribute the wage enhancement and the applicable funding for statutory benefits to eligible ECEs
  • remain enrolled for the duration of the funding term, unless approved in writing by the Child Care Operating Funding (CCOF) program

Access the following support documents:

Employer Health Tax

The Employer Health Tax (EHT) is an annual tax that applies to employers with B.C. remuneration greater than $500,000 (non-profit and charitable employers with remuneration greater than $1,500,000). Child care providers may be eligible for reimbursement to offset any increase in EHT they pay as a result of receiving the ECE-WE.

This reimbursement ensures that the amount of EHT paid by providers does not change due to their participation in the ECE-WE.

Applications for reimbursement for the 2022 tax year are now closed. Applications for the 2023 tax year will be available in 2024.

Frequently asked questions

 

Will I be paid the WE for all hours worked, or only for those hours worked providing direct care to children?

Eligible ECEs receive the Wage Enhancement (plus applicable Mandatory Statutory Benefits) for all hours worked for an eligible child care facility up to a monthly maximum of 195 hours.

 

What happens if an ECE's Certificate is expired?

In order to practice in B.C., ECEs must hold a valid certificate issued by the Director of the BC ECE Registry under Division 2 of Part 3 of the Child Care Licensing Regulation. ECEs that don't hold a valid certificate are not qualified to be employed in a licensed child care facility as an educator, and are therefore also not eligible to receive the ECE-WE.

It is the ECE's responsibility to ensure their certification has not expired, and the organization's responsibility to verify their staff's ECE certification is valid. To verify an ECE Certificate and ensure ECE staff meet these criteria, the facility/organization can use the ECE Registry online Certificate Validation tool.

In order to provide sufficient time for processing and review, ECEs are encouraged to submit their renewal applications to the ECE Registry 2-4 months before your certificate expiry date to allow for assessment time.

 

Contact information

Child Care Service Centre

Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm