Description
Early childhood educators plan, organize and implement programs for children between the ages of infancy and 12 years. Early childhood educator assistants provide care for infants and preschool- to school-age children under the guidance of early childhood educators. Early childhood educators and assistants lead children in activities to stimulate and develop their intellectual, physical and emotional growth and ensure their security and well-being. They are employed in child-care centres, day-care centres, kindergartens, agencies for exceptional children and other settings where early childhood education services are provided. Supervisors of early childhood educators and assistants are included in this unit group.
Job Titles
- Child care worker – daycare
- Daycare attendant
- Daycare coordinator
- Early childhood educator (ECE) assistant
- Early childhood supervisor
Main Duties
- Develop and implement child-care programs that support and promote the physical, cognitive, emotional and social development of children
- Lead activities by telling or reading stories, teaching songs, taking children to local points of interest and providing opportunities to express creativity through the media of art, dramatic play, music and physical activity
- Plan and maintain an environment that protects the health, security and well-being of children
- Assess the abilities, interests and needs of children and discuss progress or problems with parents and other staff members
- Observe children for signs of potential learning or behavioural problems and prepare reports for parents, guardians or supervisor
- Guide and assist children in the development of proper eating, dressing and toilet habits
- Establish and maintain collaborative relationships with co-workers and community service providers working with children
- May plan and organize activities for school-age children in child-care programs before and after regular school hours
- May supervise and coordinate activities of other early childhood educators and early childhood educator assistants.
Workplaces
- Centres for exceptional children
- Child-care centres
- Day-care centres
- Kindergartens
Skills
- Learning and Teaching Strategies
- Instructing
- Social Perceptiveness
- Coordinating
- Critical Thinking
Abilities
- Auditory Attention
- Categorization Flexibility
- Deductive Reasoning
- Far Vision
- Fluency of Ideas
Personal Attributes
- Adaptability
- Concern for Others
- Service Orientation
- Social Orientation
- Collaboration
Similar Occupations
- Elementary school and kindergarten teachers (41221)
Source: OaSIS
Employment Outlook
The employment outlook will be Very good for early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 42202) in Prince Edward Island for the 2025-2027 period.
The following factors contributed to this outlook:
- Employment growth will lead to several new positions.
- Not many positions will become available due to retirements.
- There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.
- High employee turnover in this occupation could lead to additional employment opportunities.
Early Childhood Educators and Assistants in Prince Edward Island continue to be in high demand over the forecast period due to steady growth in child care spaces and persistent vacancies across the province. The Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) agreement has driven major improvements in affordability and access, while also boosting wages for workers, making the profession more attractive. Despite these gains, some centres, especially in rural areas, may struggle to recruit and retain certified staff. For new graduates, this means strong prospects with little difficulty finding work, particularly for those holding a diploma in early childhood education.
Additional skills such as bilingualism or experience with special needs children remain valuable assets that can improve employability and career advancement. With the province’s continued expansion of child care spaces and emphasis on workforce support, this occupation offers both stability and growth for those entering the field today.
Here are some key facts about Early childhood educators and assistants in Prince Edward Island:
- Approximately 1,350 people work in this occupation.
- Early childhood educators and assistants mainly work in the following sectors:
- Social assistance (NAICS 624): 94%
- The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
- Full-time workers: 83% compared to 84% for all occupations
- Part-time workers: 17% compared to 16% for all occupations
- 52% of early childhood educators and assistants work all year, while 48% work only part of the year, compared to 59% and 41% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 40 weeks compared to 41 weeks for all occupations.
- 8% of early childhood educators and assistants are self-employed compared to an average of 13% for all occupations.
- The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
- Men: less than 5% compared to 51% for all occupations
- Women: more than 95% compared to 49% for all occupations
- The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
- no high school diploma: less than 5% compared to 11% for all occupations
- high school diploma or equivalent: 30% compared to 28% for all occupations
- apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 8% compared to 11% for all occupations
- college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor’s: 44% compared to 25% for all occupations
- bachelor’s degree: 11% compared to 17% for all occupations
- university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 8% for all occupation
Source: Job Bank
Prevailing Wages
| AREA | LOW | MEDIAN | HIGH |
|---|---|---|---|
| PEI | $16.50 | $21.55 | $31.33 |
| Canada | $16.95 | $22.30 | $30.03 |
Training
| TRAINING PROGRAM | INSTITUTION | CREDENTIAL |
|---|---|---|
| Early Childhood Care and Education | Holland College | Diploma |
| Child and Youth Care Worker | Holland College | Diploma |
| Human Services | Holland College | Diploma |
| Early Childhood Educator | Collège de l’Île | Diploma |
| Special Education Technician | Collège de l’Île | Diploma |