Job prospects Early Childhood Educator (ECE) Assistant in Ontario

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as an "early childhood educator (ECE) assistant" in Ontario or across Canada.

Job opportunities in Ontario

These outlooks were updated on December 11, 2024.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be good for Early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 42202) in Ontario for the 2024-2026 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

• Employment growth will lead to several new positions.
• Not many positions will become available due to retirements.
• There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

What Types of Employers Are Out There?

• The majority are employed in child day-care services
• Elementary schools

What are the Main Trends Affecting Employment?

• Public sector investments in the child care system to create more day-care spaces and bolster the early childhood educator workforce
• Generally, steady opportunities as more parents participate in the workforce

What Skills Do I Need to Succeed?           

• The College of Early Childhood Educators regulates early childhood educators in Ontario
• Only registered members of the College can practise the profession and use the protected titles “registered early childhood educator” (RECE), or “early childhood educator” (ECE)
• For early childhood assistants, there are two voluntary skilled trades available, namely, Child Development Practitioner, and Aboriginal Child Development Practitioner.

Here are some key facts about Early childhood educators and assistants in Ontario:

• Approximately 75,000 people work in this occupation.
• Early childhood educators and assistants mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Social assistance (NAICS 624): 76%
  • Elementary and secondary schools (NAICS 6111): 18%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 77% compared to 81% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 23% compared to 19% for all occupations
• 36% of early childhood educators and assistants work all year, while 64% work only part of the year, compared to 63% and 37% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 37 weeks compared to 43 weeks for all occupations.
• 10% of early childhood educators and assistants are self-employed compared to an average of 15% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: less than 5% compared to 52% for all occupations
  • Women: more than 95% compared to 48% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: less than 5% compared to 9% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: 16% compared to 25% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: less than 5% compared to 8% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 52% compared to 22% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: 20% compared to 24% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 5% compared to 13% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in Ontario by economic region.

Source Labour Market Information | Prospects Methodology

Job prospects elsewhere in Canada

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as an "early childhood educator (ECE) assistant" Early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 42202) or across Canada.

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