The campaign to recruit local early childhood educators is going well

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Ellie Gauvin wished she had enrolled her son in day care before he was born.

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But because he didn’t, six-month-old Liam was put on a waiting list that could last two years, forcing Windsor’s mother to stay home with him longer than expected and significantly delaying his return to work.

“I would love to go back to work now,” said Gauvin, 28. “I would love to start working, even get a part-time job, but I can’t because I don’t have childcare.”

Efforts are under way by city officials and local partners to address the perceived shortage of early childhood educators in Windsor-Essex and throughout Ontario – a problem that impacts families like the Gauvins and is further seen with the addition of approximately 1,500 affordable locally licensed daycares in year 2026.

Much of that effort is being made by the Windsor Essex Registered Early Childhood Educator recruitment and retention campaign (WERECE), spearheaded by the City of Windsor’s department of child services and showcased during a media event on Thursday.

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Andrew Daher, city health and human services commissioner, said the campaign will help meet the need for early childhood educators in the community.

“Across the province and particularly in our community, there is a shortage of staff in childcare and early years programs,” said Daher. “With the entry of daycare in the near future, we will urgently need more ECE.”

The recruitment campaign is funded by the Ministry of Education through collaboration between the provincial and federal governments.

Dawn Bosco, city child services manager and early childhood educator, said the value of PAUD “can’t be underestimated” and called a child’s first five years of life “the most moldable.”

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“During this time, a child’s brain develops faster than at any other time in their life. ECE fosters their development and growth through guided play and self-discovery, giving them the tools they need to be successful in anything they choose to do,” said Bosco. “Every day, ECE makes a difference in a child’s life.”

The municipal child services department is the consolidated municipal services manager for Windsor and Essex County.

“We have launched our WERECE to truly recognize the important role early childhood educators play in our community,” said Bosco.

Since the launch of the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care system last year in Ontario, which lowered childcare costs across the province, “children and families are attending more childcare and therefore need more childcare staff,” he said.

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“To make ends meet and all the young children who are just coming into daycare, we need more ECE, which is why we are doing this push.”

Thursday’s news of the recruiting effort was welcomed by Gauvin, who was with his two children – three-year-old baby Liam and Remi – at the Connections Early Years Family Center that morning.

“They (ECE) need support. ECE works very hard and they need to be appreciated – hopefully they can get more staff for them and more places will be opened in day care,” he said. “If there is more ECE available, yes, I will definitely be back to work soon.”

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