An advocate for affordable child care says government should pay attention to their concerns.

Long-time owner of Happy Times, Gail Sullivan, last week indicated that she’s been given the run-around from the Department of Education on a number of outstanding concerns. She wants to form an association to speak on behalf of child care centres.

Gillian Pearson of Parents for Affordable Childcare says operators are facing a real “pressure cooker” with many early learning centres and day homes “severely underfunded.”

She says with more people heading back into the workplace and the decrease in daily rates from $25 dollars to $15 dollars a day, and more people seeking child care, it’s nearly impossible to find a child care space if you don’t already have one.

Pearson says government-spending on child care is a smart investment, but salaries for Early Childhood Educators tend to fall by the wayside. She says many people might be surprised by the salaries earned by ECE’s—even those with the highest level of education.

Most work for minimum wage, and even those with a high level of education are only getting $17 or $18 dollars an hour. While there’s a supplement available for qualifying ECEs, it can’t be used for loan or mortgage applications, or even be considered for maternity benefits.