Submission #2358

Having worked in the early childhood field for over a decade, and having children of my own, I can attest to the “before and after” of having the pedagogical support vs. The before of not having it. I have seen with my own eyes how beneficial the role is to creating a workplace that is able to retain educators, allowing educators to do their job to their fullest potential instead of constant burnout, and essentially making our early years centres some of the best quality in the country. With retention already being a challenge, how can you expect to retain any staff if you create a workplace environment so stressful, so overwhelming, unable to meet the needs of the children or the staff, and you say we need to be resilient? Today’s educators ARE resilient – but they need the support and tools to do their job. Just like ANY other occupation. But the stakes are high- because this directly affects the wellbeing of our children and the future generation of islanders. In removing this role, you directly impact the quality of care on the Island. I pray for our next generations wellbeing that the government decides to put our children and families first, and we will speak out for those little people who are near and dear to us.