As Canada continues to expand its early learning and child care (ELCC) system, one challenge remains consistent across the country: ensuring there are enough qualified educators to deliver high-quality programs.

In June 2026, Child Care Now released A Vision and Roadmap for Increasing Educator Qualifications in Licensed Child Care Centres, a report that proposes a long-term strategy for building a more highly qualified, well-supported, and professional early learning and child care workforce.  

Why was this report developed?

The report argues that educator qualifications are directly connected to the quality of children’s learning experiences. A workforce with stronger educational preparation, ongoing professional learning, and clearly defined responsibilities can improve program quality, reduce educator burnout, lower staff turnover, and create better learning environments for children. It also emphasizes that qualifications must be considered alongside fair wages, benefits, pensions, and supportive working conditions as part of a comprehensive workforce strategy. 

What are the current challenges?

According to the report, Canada continues to have relatively low qualification requirements for many early learning and child care positions compared with international standards.

Some of the key challenges identified include:

• Qualification requirements vary significantly between provinces and territories.
• Many jurisdictions require only minimal ECE-related training for staff.
• Several provinces are not on track to meet their own Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) workforce qualification targets.
• There is no consistent national understanding of what it means to be a “qualified” educator.
• Professional learning requirements are often limited despite evidence that ongoing learning improves educator wellbeing, recruitment, and retention. 

A new vision for the workforce

Rather than viewing all educators through a single lens, the report proposes a more structured workforce model with clearly defined career pathways, scopes of practice, competencies, and qualification expectations.

It identifies six key employment roles that should form the foundation of licensed centre-based child care:

• Early Childhood Assistants (ECAs)
• Early Childhood Educators (ECEs)
• Inclusion Support Specialists / Resource Consultants
• Pedagogical Leaders
• Staff Supervisors
• Program Directors 

For each role, the report outlines:

• its primary responsibilities and scope of practice;
• the competencies required to perform the role effectively;
• formal education expectations;
• ongoing professional learning requirements; and
• mentorship and leadership responsibilities where appropriate. 

Short-term and long-term qualification goals

The report recommends gradually increasing educational expectations over time rather than implementing immediate changes.

For example, it proposes:

• Early Childhood Assistants would move from a one-year ECE certificate in the short term to a two-year ECE diploma over the longer term.
• Early Childhood Educators would continue to require a two-year diploma initially, with a long-term goal of a four-year ECE degree.
• Specialized roles (including Inclusion Support Specialists, Pedagogical Leaders, Staff Supervisors, and Program Directors) would require additional specialized education, leadership preparation, or advanced credentials that reflect their expanded responsibilities. 

The report also stresses that formal education should be complemented by ongoing professional learning in areas such as play-based learning, inclusion, anti-racism, Indigenous ways of knowing, reflective practice, and curriculum development. 

The roadmap for implementation

Recognizing that these changes cannot happen overnight, the report proposes a staged implementation plan. Its recommendations include:

• establishing consistent national qualification expectations;
• clearly defining employment roles and scopes of practice;
• expanding access to post-secondary ECE education;
  • creating specialized education pathways for leadership and inclusion roles; improving pp
• investing in mentoring and professional learning;m
• aligning compensation with qualifications and responsibilities;
• providing sustained public funding to support workforce development; and
• coordinating implementation across governments, post-secondary institutions, regulators, employers, and the sector. 

Looking ahead

As governments continue building Canada’s early learning and child care system, expanding access alone will not be enough. The report argues that improving educator qualifications, clarifying career pathways, supporting ongoing professional learning, and investing in workforce development are all essential to delivering high-quality child care for children and families.

Read the full report: A Vision and Roadmap for Increasing Educator Qualifications in Licensed Child Care Centres by Child Care Now.