Alberta launches new bursary program to increase the number of qualified ECEs
Earlier this week, the Alberta government announced a new Early Childhood Educator Bursary Program that will provide 300 bursaries of $10,000 to students who have been accepted into a one-year Early Childhood Education (ECE) certificate program.
The Alberta government is financing the program using federal dollars it is receiving under the Canada-Alberta Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.
To qualify for the bursary, students must be accepted into an ECE certificate program from an institution on the approved list of participating post-secondary institutions. The bursary program provides a first installment of $5,000 to help cover the costs of tuition, books and living expenses. The final installment will be distributed to ECEs after they’ve completed their studies, acquired Level 2 certification, and are working in licensed child care.
In Alberta, all staff working in licensed child care settings must be certified as Level 1, 2 or 3 within six months of employment. While Level 1 only requires an orientation course or some course work hours; Level 2 requires a one-year certificate or equivalent, and Level 3 requires a two-year early learning and child care diploma or equivalent.
NorQuest College will administer the new bursary program and is also included in the list of 20 post-secondary institutions. Twelve institutions on the list are considered to be public, two are independent, and six are private career colleges.
Child Care Now welcomes the decision to spend public funds on bursary initiatives designed to increase the number of qualified early childhood educators working in licensed child care, but is concerned about the inclusion of commercial training institutions in the bursary program because they often charge students more than public institutions. Further, the programs and credentials offered by private institutions are not recognized by public post-secondary institutions for transfer or academic credit purposes.
“It’s good to see this investment in workers and the sector in Alberta,” says Dr. Susan Cake, Chairperson of the Alberta chapter of Child Care Now. “But we need to be concerned about how much public funding will end up in private training institutions and that may not support the workforce with their long-term educational goals and career advancement.”
Recently, the Association of Early Childhood Educators Alberta released the Choosing an ELCC Post-Secondary Program in Alberta Toolkit to support students and ECEs looking to enrol in an ECE educational program. The toolkit is a comprehensive resource explaining the types of training institutions available, issues of transferability of credentials or certificates, and tips on how to evaluate the quality and type of learning the institution will provide.