Submission #2290

Dear Members of Government,

I am writing to you as an Early Childhood Educator with over 20 years of experience—years spent caring for, teaching, and advocating for young children and their families.
I want to acknowledge the effort being made to create more child care spaces across Prince Edward Island. Increasing access is important and necessary. However, the decision to reduce funded hours for pedagogical support staff in Early Years Centres is deeply concerning and works against the very system you are trying to strengthen.
Let me be clear: child care is an essential service. Families rely on us every single day so they can go to work, support their households, and contribute to our communities and economy. Treating early learning environments as anything less than essential—and cutting back on the supports that make them function—is not only short-sighted, it is unreasonable.
Pedagogical support staff are not an extra. They are critical to maintaining quality care. They provide educators with the time needed to plan meaningful programming, support the day-to-day operations of centres, and ensure we can be fully present and engaged with the children in our care.
When these supports are reduced, the impact is immediate:
Educators take more work home.
Burnout increases.
Experienced staff leave the field.
And the quality of care becomes harder to maintain.
Over my 20 years in this profession, I have seen what makes a system strong—and it is not just the number of spaces available. It is the level of support provided to the educators within those spaces. You cannot expand child care while simultaneously cutting the very supports that allow it to operate effectively.
Your government has spoken about reducing burnout, retaining educators, and building a strong early childhood system. These goals matter. But they cannot be achieved if the foundation continues to be weakened.
I urge you to reconsider this decision. Supporting educators is not optional—it is essential to the sustainability of child care in this province.
Our work matters. Our role is essential. And the children and families of Prince Edward Island deserve a system that reflects that.

Respectfully,

Brooke Malchin
Early Childhood Educator