Representatives of a dozen child care agencies from Sarnia and the rest of Lambton County set up tables in the Polish Hall Tuesday for a chance to connect with potential workers.
Representatives of a dozen child care agencies from Sarnia and the rest of Lambton County set up tables in the Polish Hall Tuesday for a chance to connect with potential workers.
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The career fair was part of an ongoing effort by child-care providers and Lambton County, which manages child care and early years services locally, to fill job vacancies, particularly for registered early childhood educators, impacting efforts to meet demand from local families.
Matt Joosse, project manager for the county’s early years workforce development strategy, said they hold about two career fairs a year and numbers coming through the doors Tuesday match one held in May that attracted about 100 people.
Approximately 100 full-time, part-time and casual jobs in the sector are available across Sarnia and Lambton County, including registered early childhood education workers and other positions, he said.
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The number of licensed child-care spaces has been growing in Lambton but long waiting lists remain.
A deal signed by Ontario and the federal government will see several hundred more child care spaces created in Sarnia and the rest of Lambton County in the next few years but finding workers is one of the biggest challenges for the sector in Lambton and elsewhere.
“I would say over the last two to three years, things are improving,” said Claire Chiles, director at the North Lambton Child Care Center in Forest.
Between January 2022 and October 2023, the number of child-care workers in Lambton increased more than eight per cent, but about 200 more early childhood educators were expected to be needed in the next three years, according to a county report.
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“It’s a rewarding career,” Chiles said, adding there has been a commitment by government to improve wages, one of the hurdles child care operators have faced hiring and keeping workers.
“Slowly but surely, we’re seeing an increase in the wages for our registered early childhood educators,” she said.
They can earn around $25 an hour now, compared to $18 or $19 just a few years ago, Chiles said.
The career fairs typically attract registered early childhood educators considering getting back into the field after some time away, as well as students enrolled in childhood education programs, she said.
They also attract individuals interested in jobs for those without registered early childhood qualifications, including assistants, cooks and administration roles, Chiles said.
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Those jobs also can be an opportunity for individuals “to test the waters” and see if child care is a good fit, she said.
If it is, there are plenty of options to complete the education needed to become a registered early childhood educator, including a special Lambton College fast-track program for those already working in the sector that compresses a two-year program into one.
The Lambton Works Centre, located at the Lambton County Shared Services Center in downtown Sarnia, hosted Tuesday’s career fair and had staff at the Polish Hall offering help for job seekers.
Supervisor Susan Blommers said those looking for jobs can visit the Shared Services Center or call 519-344-2062, ext. 2019.
Information, including about local careers in child care, can be found online at www.lambtonchildcare.ca.
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