October 18th is the 22nd annual Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day, and Lanark County is celebrating!
“This year we recognize our amazing early learning and child care educators who have gone above and beyond to offer families support and peace of mind in our communities over the last number of years,” said John Fenik, County Warden (Town of Perth Mayor). “This day recognizes the commitment, hard work and dedication of Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) and all staff who work with young children. The child care sector has faced many hurdles in the last couple of years, and educators have risen to the challenge and are now answering the call for support for the sector.”
Each year the appreciation day is proclaimed by municipalities and school boards across Ontario and marked in hundreds of child care centres. It draws attention to the value of Registered ECEs (RECE) and child care workers to our communities. It is also an important opportunity to call for better wages, working conditions and support for these dedicated workers.
Lanark County has 14 licensed childcare centres that operate out of about 26 locations. This does not include licensed home child care and RECEs who work in organizations outside of licensed child care centres.
RECEs work in a wide variety of settings, such as:
- Advocacy
- EarlyON
- Government
- Post-secondary institutions
- Full-day Kindergarten and other classroom settings
- Children’s services
- Family support programs
- Licensed child care
- Unlicensed home child care
- Recreation programs
In Lanark County the Lanark Early Learning Child Care Association (LELCCA) is made up of a group of educators from various organizations such as child care centres, EarlyON, Lanark Early Integration Programs and more. This group gathers resources and provides workshops and professional development nights for all educators in Lanark County. Lanark County Children’s Services funds this committee and provides funds for these workshops and resources.
The ECE profession is governed by the College of Early Childhood Educators, and all ECEs must be registered and in good standing with the college. The college and the Ministry of Education, in conjunction with municipalities, have worked towards educating the public that the ECE profession is indeed a professional career.
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