Submission #2512

Dear Minister of Education and Early Years,
I am writing as an educator currently working in an infant room with children aged 12–24 months. I wanted to express my concern regarding the reduction of pedagogical staffing supports and the impact these changes would have on educators, programming quality, and ultimately the children in our care.
High-quality early learning environments rely heavily on time, support, and adequate staffing to create meaningful programming experiences for young children. In infant and toddler settings especially, educators are balancing caregiving routines, safety, emotional support, documentation, and curriculum planning all at once. Reductions in pedagogical support make it increasingly difficult to provide the responsive and enriching environments that children deserve.
Pedagogical staff and supports play an important role in helping educators develop programming, reflect on practice, create inclusive environments, and maintain current best practices in early childhood education. Losing these supports risks increasing burnout among educators who are already working under significant pressure.
As someone working directly with young children every day, I worry about the long-term effects this may have on both educator retention and the quality of care and learning experiences available to children and families.
Thank you for taking the time to read and consider these concerns.
Sincerely,
Morgan Milligan, ELCC