When the Job Ad Asks for Everything — and Offers Very Little

 I saw a job ad today. It listed everything you could ever ask for in a childcare professional: years of specialized experience, multiple certifications, trauma-informed training, cultural competence, leadership skills, organizational abilities, creativity, innovation, communication excellence, and — of course — passion, compassion, and commitment.

It also listed the wage: $26.74/hour for 21 hours a week.

This isn’t an attack on the organization. I believe they care. But this is what the sector has become: underfunded, over-pressured, and leaning too heavily on the emotional labour of people — mostly women — who are expected to carry the world on their backs for less than a living wage.

WorkforceNOW, Indeed, all these job portals… they depersonalize the process. They treat people like code, resumes like algorithms, and humans like checklists.

It feels hopeless sometimes. You spend years gathering experience, volunteering, educating yourself, and still — it’s never enough. Or it is enough, but only enough to be underpaid and overworked.

What does “inclusion” mean if it doesn’t include the workers themselves?