like other daycare centres in the corridor, the Whistler Children's Centre would love to hire more certified staff, but it simply can't find them.
But according to Kari Gaudet, executive director of the centre, the daycare receives applications from candidates with the right education and experience on a regular basis.
The problem, said Gaudet, is that the training they have received is not easily recognized in B.C.—and the process of getting it recognized can be lengthy.
"I am currently about four staff short right now, and we are doing everything we can to fill gaps," said Gaudet.
"And there are people walking in—wanting a job at the Children's Centre—that we can't get them working because of all of these hoops that we have to jump through."
According to Gaudet, getting a credential recognized from another province can take between four to six weeks, while getting one recognized from another country can take much longer.
Like others Pique spoke to, Gaudet said that the administrative hurdles cause potential workers to give up and simply seek employment elsewhere.
"It is frustrating to have to turn down experienced candidates with qualifications obtained outside of B.C. and Canada, when there is a shortage of childcare workers here," said Nina Moore, of the Whistler Waldorf School.
Applicants may have to retake an entire certificate or diploma course again, she added. "Even with training grants and bursaries available, this represents a significant investment of time and money for candidates."
Local MLA Jordan Sturdy said that he is well aware of the certification issues, having worked with Sea to Sky daycares and educators seeking to speed up the process.
There needs to be improvements to the way credentials are recognized, especially those that are obtained in other provinces, said Sturdy.
"The problem is when it's taking [institutions up to a year] to provide and recognize those qualifications, that person is gone," said Sturdy. "It's already a tough job and government is just making it tougher."
Whistler Councillor Jen Ford, who is currently serving as third vice president with the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM), said that she and others with UBCM recently brought the issue up with ministers Katrina Chen (State for Child Care) and Katrine Conroy (Children and Family Development) as part of the UBCM's advocacy days.
The UBCM group highlighted the need for more streamlined certification, saying that it goes "hand in hand" with new spaces, said Ford.
"I feel like they've heard us and I feel like they're doing what they can," she added.
In an emailed statement from the Ministry of Children and Family Development, a spokesperson said "the Province is actively working to improve processes for ECEs, including those who are looking to transfer their qualifications from other academic institutions in Canada or internationally. With that in mind, we have improved the processing time during the past two years by increasing our capacity and resources to the program."
In February 2018, the B.C. government announced a three-year, $1-billion investment through the Child Care BC plan—the most significant childcare investment in B.C.'s history. It also it added an $88-million annual investment to it in its most recent budget.
"They've also given wage subsidies to daycare centers to be able to pay the staff more," said Ford. "And so it was $1 an hour up until last year, and then they went to $2 an hour."
Like Sturdy, Gaudet said that work should be done to improve inter-provincial certification.
"I would definitely like to see it a bit more streamlined, so that we are able to access early childhood educators easier," she said.
The certification issue is especially pronounced here in Whistler, she added.
"If these people are traveling here—and they don't have the intention of staying more than a year or two—it's not advantageous for them to go through these hoops," she said. "We lose them to food and beverage or a different industry here in town."
