CPEs must regularly notify parents that they cannot accommodate their child that day. Some even go so far as to close every Friday because of a lack of educators.
“Today, for example, I had to close two groups,” says Judith Bonnard, director of the CPE Entre amis in Coaticook in Estrie, about her day full of unforeseen events on November 9th.
“Closing a group” means that not all children in this group can attend daycare at this time because there are not enough teachers to meet the quotas.
When an educator is sick, the situation often becomes clear that same morning. It is therefore necessary to find one or more replacements at short notice.
“But there aren’t many people who want to travel to find a replacement,” notes Ms. Bonnard, whose installation is 40 minutes from Sherbrooke.
“It makes no sense.”
For about a year, many CPEs, especially in the regions, have experienced frequent service outages.
In Gaspésie, the CPE de la Baie had to decide to close the 76 places in its Maria installation every Friday from November 10th.
“I wasn't fat in my shorts when I pressed the button to send the letter to the parents,” admits director Julie Dalpé.
Julie Dalpé, director of the CPE of the Bay, in the Baie des Chaudes in Gaspésie. Courtesy of Julie Dalpé
She remembers that when Ms. Dalpé arrived in Gaspésie 13 years ago, there were six or seven people on her replacement list. Then the pandemic accelerated the labor shortage. The substitute benches are empty.
In the week of October 30th alone, it had to announce three business interruptions. “I said to myself: That doesn’t make any sense.”
The closure on Friday means parents can at least organize themselves in advance, explains Ms. Dalpé.
Reduced ratios
Currently, every third educator in every facility must be qualified in order to meet the Family Ministry's quotas. This ratio was due to be increased next March to return to pre-pandemic requirements, but the government has decided to extend this relaxation until 2027.
“It affects the quality of education. We are giving up a little,” criticizes Sandro Di Cori, general director of the Quebec Association of Early Childhood Centers (AQCPE).
Despite the relaxation, recruitment remains difficult. “We work in one of the lowest-paying fields,” recalls Mr. Di Cori.
CPEs that have to resort to service interruptions will be penalized because they will lose part of their funding, emphasizes Julie Dalpé.
During this time, solutions to deal with the shortage have been introduced, such as international recruitment, but these only bear fruit in the long term or are still poorly established.
For example, Bay CPE is hiring six people as part of a part-time study program. Because of their courses, they are available on Tuesdays and Thursdays, while the demand arises mainly on Mondays and Fridays, explains Ms. Dalpé.
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