Dear Peel Region Officials,

We are the Staff at Mini-Skool A Child’s Place  We are petitioning on behalf of our distinguished  and hardworking staff to convey our growing concern regarding recent modifications to the Wage Enhancement Childcare Funding (WCF) guidelines. These changes have had a profound and detrimental impact on our profession.

In 2025, Peel Region instituted revised Wage Enhancement guidelines within the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) program. This reform connected funding eligibility directly to the current wage levels of employees. While aimed at maintaining fiscal responsibility, these criteria have inadvertently created significant challenges. By 2026, due to necessary wage increases to match inflation and the rising cost of living, a substantial number of our qualified and dedicated educators no longer meet the eligibility criteria, leaving them without the critical financial supplementation they depended on. For many educators like us, this translates into a severe financial hardship, jeopardizing not only our well-being but also the quality of early childhood education provided to families in our community.

The Canadian Child Care Federation emphasizes the critical need for fair compensation within early childhood education to attract and retain skilled professionals. It is well-documented that low wages contribute heavily to high turnover rates in this sector, ultimately affecting the consistency and quality of care available to young children. In Peel Region alone, numerous daycare centres are teetering on the edge of being understaffed, hence affecting parental access to quality care, which could lead to longer waiting lists and potential loss of parental workdays.

To address this issue, we propose the following solutions:

1. Adjust the WCF funding criteria to accommodate necessary wage adjustments for inflation without penalizing employees whose wages have increased accordingly.
2. Introduce a tiered funding strategy that supports progressive wage increases while still allowing educators to benefit from the Wage Enhancement initiative.
3. Consider implementing an annual review process to ensure that funding guidelines remain aligned with cost-of-living changes and maintain fair support across the board for all early childhood educators.

These adjustments would not only safeguard our workforce from financial disparity but also secure a more stable and high-quality child care environment for countless families across the region. It is crucial for us as a community to ensure that educators are motivated and financially secure, as they form the foundation of our children's early education.

We urgently appeal to the Peel Region officials to revisit these guidelines and take immediate action to support the sustainability and excellence of early childhood education.

Please sign this petition to advocate for a fair, equitable support system for our dedicated early childhood educators. Together, we can make a difference and ensure that the educational and developmental needs of our children are prioritized.