2023 Alberta Election

Welcome to our election information page, where you will find details on how to vote and AECEA’s advocacy activities.

Imagine every eligible early childhood educator (ECEs) voting in Alberta’s provincial election. That’s thousands and thousands of voters. The political influence of ECEs in Alberta is huge–we are 20,000+ strong–and our voice needs to be heard.

How to vote

On Monday, May 29th, Alberta voters will choose the next provincial government. Visit Elections Alberta to find information on voting locations, how to vote, as well as details on political candidates and parties.

Did you know you can vote in advance? Advance voting takes place from May 23 to May 27. You can also choose to vote by mail if you are unable to cast your ballot on election day or during advance voting periods. If you choose to vote by mail, a request needs to be made for a special ballot before May 22 at 6 p.m.

Political Advocacy

AECEA is a non-partisan organization, which means the organization does not endorse or support any specific political party or candidate. What we focus on is advocating issues that are important to ECEs. Our activities include engaging political parties about their election platforms and sharing information they provide with ECEs so they can make an informed choice on what candidate and political party to support.

In addition, we encourage ECEs to visit, share, and like our social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. As you will see, our focus is on the need to recognize ECEs as a profession as well as promoting the importance of a wage grid and workforce plan.

What did AECEA ask the major political parties?

Rather than asking general questions about how political parties will support ECEs and the early learning and child care (ELCC) sector, AECEA has sent an email requesting specific information on issues of importance to its members.

Without a workforce strategy, Alberta will be unable to retain its existing ECE workforce. With a need for an additional 9,000 ECEs by 2026, what is your party’s plan for ensuring the province has well-educated, qualified, and experienced ECEs?
Alberta does not have a wage grid for early childhood educators, resulting in wage disparities across the province, including some ECEs earning near or below a living wage. Will your party establish a wage grid to ensure ECEs receive fair compensation that respects and values their work?
(For AECEA's draft wage grid recommendations, go here.)
Every child and family should be able to access quality early learning and child care if they need it. How will your party ensure that every child, regardless of income, family status, where they live, or whether a child has a developmental, behavioural, or other exceptional need receives the quality of care he or she deserves?

Below are the responses we have received from the political parties to date:

Political Party
Child Centred Policy	Invest in accessible, high quality, cost-effective child-care spaces that address early childhood education needs.	Acknowledge and address the skills shortage in the province to provide quality care.
Workforce Strategy		Attract and retain ECEs by providing a funding increase of more than 50% every year, meaning $40 million annually in new funding over and above the current budget. Create 30,000 new post secondary spaces across sectors, and increase student aid grants proportionately to support students. Committed to restoring ECE trust in government and treating them with respect, providing robust support in line with the value ECEs provide to Alberta families.
Commitment To High-Quality	Establish a task force with early education specialists to develop: An evidence-based Early Childhood Education curriculum to be followed by qualified Early Childhood Education Centres (Preschools, Playschools, Early Kindergarten, etc.) Criteria and standards for Early Childhood Education Centers to follow to be considered qualified.	Working with stakeholders to develop a wage grid, bolstered by a 50% funding increase to ensure fair compensation for ECE’s hard work. Doubling capital grant funding for non-profit childcare spaces.
Inclusive Education	Increase supports for students with special needs with additional appropriately trained staff and funding. Provide targeted funding for educational assistants to increase the human supports for students with special needs.
Affordability	Provide funding on an income-tested basis to improve access to childcare	Ensure every child receives the quality care they deserve, we will accelerate the $10/day childcare to make it available to every family by the end of 2024.	Committed to $10/day childcare by 2026.
Other		Bring in $10/day before-and-after school care on an accelerated timeline to give children and family more wraparound supports.	Committed to a mix of private and not-profit child care spaces.