Early Care and Learning Recruitment and Retention Strategy Evaluation Report

In 2018, British Columbia launched the Early Care and Learning Recruitment and Retention Strategy (ECL R&R Strategy) which is part of a larger ten‐year ChildCareBC plan, to increase the quality, affordability, and availability of child care spaces in British Columbia. On January 11 2023, an Evaluation Report was launched, which outlines the progress so far, how progress is being measured and what still needs to be achieved. This report also captures the thoughts of Early Childhood Educators through sharing quotes and responses to surveys.

As one early childhood educator who was interviewed said, “I would love to be considered the same as other teachers, like kindergarten or Grade 1 teachers. I would love for them to think of us as teachers because we are teachers. We're just teachers to children under the age of 5.”

While it is too early to determine the overall effectiveness of the ECL R&R Strategy, the evaluation report’s interim findings will continue to inform B.C.’s ongoing efforts related to ECL recruitment and retention.