This blog was authored by Simon Marmura Brown, Strategic Director of Research and Knowledge Mobilisation, Pond-Deshpande Centre

ECEs as Professionals

Honouring the knowledge, practice, and professionalism of early childhood educators.

Last week, I wrote a post about some of our insights from the Atlantic Canada Early Childhood Education Lab, which highlighted how early childhood educators across the region are stepping into leadership roles and shaping change in their sector.

This week, I want to focus on another truth that came through just as clearly: ECEs are professionals.

ECEs are experts in early learning and care, they are skilled in child development, pedagogy, and relationship-building. Every day, they plan, observe, adapt, and reflect. Their work requires creativity, emotional intelligence, and deep knowledge of how children learn and grow.

Throughout the Lab, educators described the emotional intelligence and intellectual demands of the role. They talked about creating environments that nurture curiosity, designing activities that build cognitive and social skills, and supporting families through challenges, transitions, and tribulations. The language they used—about developmental stages, evidence-based practice, and reflective pedagogy—was the language of professionals. Despite this truth, the role of ECEs is often misunderstood or undervalued. Many emphasized a lack of professional development opportunities to grow in their professional capacities.

What We Learned About ECE Professionalism

Throughout the Lab, we engaged with educators from across Atlantic Canada—many of them balancing full-time work, family responsibilities, and ongoing training. What emerged was a clear picture of a workforce that is educated, experienced, and committed to continuous learning. A growing number of ECEs hold college diplomas or university degrees and many pursue professional development on their own time, often without compensation, because they care deeply about improving their practice and supporting children’s growth.

ECEs demonstrate all the hallmarks of a profession:

• Expertise and judgment: They apply specialized knowledge about how children learn and develop.

• Ongoing learning: They seek credentials, mentorship, and practical learning opportunities even when time and resources are scarce.

• Ethical practice: They work in partnership with families and communities, maintaining confidentiality, empathy, and fairness.

• Peer mentorship: They support one another through informal professional mentorship networks

As one Atlantic Canada ECE professional explained: “We’re not just babysitters—we’re setting the stage from a very early age, we’re working with language development, physical development, and cognitive development.” If there is one sentiment that captures the professionalism, pride, and purpose that ECEs bring to their work every day, it’s that one.

Another ECE reflected in an interview: “To be an ECE professional for me means to connect with the children and their families. To give them the opportunity to reach their optimal potential.”

Barriers to Recognition

Despite this professionalism, persistent challenges were also made clear. For example, low wages, limited benefits, and unclear career pathways make it difficult for many to stay in the field long-term. These challenges also limit how ECEs are recognized and supported. Public understanding of the role also lags behind reality. Educators are often still viewed as “daycare workers” or “babysitters” rather than as early childhood professionals.

The result is a frustrating contradiction: a highly skilled workforce that isn’t always treated as such. For many ECEs, the issue of pay isn’t just economic, it’s symbolic. It reflects how society values the people who care for and educate our youngest citizens.

Testing Change Through the Lab

One of the strengths of the Atlantic Canada ECE Lab was that educators didn’t just talk about these issues, they co-designed solutions. Through the prototyping process, provincial teams tested new ways to support ECEs in their professional growth.

• In New Brunswick, the Lab team developed a prototype to support ECEs’ ability to study while working.

• In Prince Edward Island, the Lab team tested embedded mentorship, raising up experienced educators with mentorship training and recognition to strengthen professional identity and support peer learning.

• In Newfoundland and Labrador, the Lab team developed a visual pathway tool to help leaders guide ECEs in developing their professional capacities.

Each of these prototypes began as a small, testable idea, but together, they represent a shift in mindset: recognizing ECEs not just as workers, but as professionals shaping a vital part of our social infrastructure, and as key partners in co-designing improvements to early childhood education in Atlantic Canada.

Recognize, Respect, and Invest

If there’s one thing to take away from this work, it’s that professionalism isn’t just about credentials, it’s about how a society values expertise, care, and the people who provide it. It is also vital to recognize the gendered nature of the profession. Women represent the vast majority of Atlantic Canada ECE professionals, so supporting these professionals also means supporting women.

ECEs deserve that recognition and support. They deserve to be seen, respected, and invested in. When we support them—through decent wages, access to professional learning and development, and strong professional networks—we strengthen the foundation for every child and family in Atlantic Canada.

I hope you’ll join us to continue this conversation at our upcoming ECE Showcase, where educators will share what they’ve learned, what they’ve built, and how they’re redefining what it means to be an ECE professional.