From CPE to Costco: 4,000 educators left their profession last year

Every day, on average, in Quebec, 10 educators leave their profession working with young children to work elsewhere, often discouraged by the salary and working conditions. According to the most recent data from the Ministry of Family, the number of permanent departures increased further to reach 3,979 last year. The minister says she is concerned.

Among all departures, only 4% are retirements, notes the ministry. These are therefore career changes, outside the educational childcare network.

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I have good educators who left us to go work in supermarkets, at Costco, to work as classroom aides in schoolssays the director of the Early Childhood Center (CPE) L’Attrait mignon, in Longueuil, Claudia Beaudin. The question of salary always comes up.

For young people starting out in the profession, the salary is sometimes higher in supermarkets. But, for us, in CPE, it comes with a lot of responsibilities.

The entry-level salary at Costco recently increased to $19.50 compared to $18.52 for an unqualified educator. At the top of the scale at Costco, a cashier will earn $32.40, more than a qualified educator at the bottom rung ($30).

I am outraged by thissays Claudia Beaudin, who recalls that the profession of educator is the least well paid of all those requiring a college diploma in Quebec. Why do we allow ourselves to cheap labour in early childhood?

Educator during the week, housekeeper on the weekend

Au CPE Cuteness, educator Vanessa McDuff saw it go at least five colleagues in recent months.

At 35, separated from her ex-partner, she does not earn enough money to support her four children. Every Friday, she does housekeeping and does it again every other weekend, when her children are at their father’s house. Some weeks, she works seven days, without leave.

Which is more profitable between the CPE and the housework? It’s housekeepingshe replies. I do a house for 1 hour 30 minutes or 2 hours, and I earn $100. Why not just do some cleaning? Because I like children. It’s my passion.

Vanessa would like early career educators to be paid $30 an hour, like in Prince Edward Island. Negotiations are underway with the Legault government to improve their salaries and a threat of strike looms in the CPE.

Paying for tampons for poor workers

I have a teacher who had to pay for tampons, otherwise she couldn’t come to work that day [de ses menstruations] because she didn’t have the budget to buy itsays director Claudia Beaudin.

The CPE also gives the rest of the midday meals to an educator, mother of three children, because she is in need.

I have almost half of my educators who don’t have $1000 clear [sur leur paie] per two weeksshe adds.

We impoverish these women [les éducatrices]while we created this network to allow women to emancipate themselves, to return to school, to enter the job market.

Migration to school

Since the Legault government increased the salaries of classroom assistants and school daycare technicians, the Quebec Association of Early Childhood Centers (AQCPE) has noted a cannibalization of educators by the school network.

According to the AQCPE, more than half of CPE have seen at least one educator leave to work in a school in the last year.

This is the case of Marilou Dumont, an educator passionate who left, with a lot of painof are CPE from the Mékinac region, in Mauricie, in August.

Exhaustion loomed large over meshe says. I find that really sad, because being an educator is a great job.

The further we advanced, the more difficult the working conditions became. Children have more and more special needs, so the workload is heavier and heavier.

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As a school daycare educator, Marilou Dumont increased her salary by almost four dollars an hour. She is also better paid as a special education teacher and her prospect of salary progression is greater.

A school daycare technician starts at $26 per hour and tops out at $35, compared to $21.60 and $30 for a qualified educator.

I feel a lot of support at schoolshe says. Plus, she has vacations in the summer.

This is worryingsaid the minister

The numerous departures of educators, it sure worries meadmits Quebec Minister of Families, Suzanne Roy, in an interview with -.

We must work hard to ensure that more educators enter than leave.

The minister explains that her government has put in place lots of initiatives in terms of valorization [et] at the training level.

Last year, there were 3,804 more educators, net, between departures and arrivals, but that was not enough to fill all the vacant positions. There are 3119 left.

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Concerning migration towards the school environment, the situation would be unevendepending on the region, said the minister, but it remains something that we monitor and continue to analyzeso as not to undress Paul to dress Peter.

We understand that the ongoing negotiations could lead to a rebalancing with school salaries.

The latest news was that the government was offering a 12.7% increase to educators over 5 years, which would increase the starting salary of a qualified professional to $24.34.