Behind Quebec’s daycare quality numbers sits one stubborn cause: there aren’t enough qualified educators. The shortage affects waitlists, working conditions, and — as Quebec’s Auditor General noted — the quality of care itself. Here’s what the data shows, and where directors actually have leverage.
What the data shows
According to the Auditor General’s 2024 report:
- The share of daycares missing the target ratio of qualified educators rose from 32% to 46% between 2018 and 2023.
- The same report links rising quality-evaluation failures to this shortage of trained staff. (See what the Auditor General found.)
Source: Auditor General of Québec, Annual Report (May 2024), Chapter 4 (full PDF).
Why it matters
Qualified educators are the engine of educational quality — they drive the interactions and planning that evaluations measure. When a centre can’t fill qualified roles, it leans on fewer experienced staff, turnover rises, and continuity for children suffers. Parents notice: stable, familiar educators are one of the things they value most when choosing a daycare.
Where directors have leverage
You can’t fix a labour market alone, but you can improve retention — and retention is the lever closest to your control. A major, avoidable reason educators leave is administrative overload: paperwork that eats the time they’d rather spend with children.
Practical moves that help:
- Cut admin friction. If daily reports, attendance, and observations take a few taps instead of forms, educators stay in the room, not at a desk. See digital daily reports and digital attendance.
- Make their work visible. Tools that turn observations into progress reports let educators show the impact of their work — which is motivating, not just administrative.
- Protect focus. Keep messaging with parents organized and separate from the daily flow, so educators aren’t fielding scattered requests all day.
The bigger picture
The shortage is structural and won’t resolve quickly. But centres that reduce the busywork around educators — and demonstrate the quality of their care — are better placed to keep the staff they have and meet rising expectations.
Related reading
- What the Auditor General found about daycare quality
- How daycare quality is evaluated in Quebec
- What parents should ask about daycare quality
MonGardy is built to take admin off educators’ plates so they can focus on children — a small but real help with retention. See pricing or get started; the first year is free for new centres.
