The Minister of Education (alternate) says a promised change to the wage grid for early childhood educators in the province will come into effect April 1 – retroactive to January 1.

Tom Osborne was responding to opposition concerns about access to child care services.

Osborne says demand has increased since the province introduced $10 dollar a day child care, but a large number of ECEs have left the sector because they weren’t being adequately compensated.

Osborne says the department is now reaching out to some of those workers to encourage them back into the system.

He believes that with the new wage grid, many former ECEs who left the sector, will have a look at coming back.

In the meantime, ECEs now in the system have been informed that they are being offered a $2,000 dollar one-time appreciation bonus.

He says similar to bonuses provided to the public sector they wanted to recognize the important work ECEs provide as part of the education system.