Ten post-secondary institutions across the province have partnered with the Government of Saskatchewan to increase early childhood educators’ access to training and professional development opportunities.
The Government is committing over $12 million for the 2023-24 academic year to support early childhood educators to achieve higher levels of training and access to professional development opportunities.
“Training is key to building a strong, qualified early childhood educator workforce.” Education Minister Dustin Duncan said. “This is an exciting announcement as we collaborate with post-secondary institutions across the province to bring training opportunities to early childhood educators and those who want to work in early learning and child care.”
The funding is one of the initiatives by the Governments of Canada and Saskatchewan through the Canada-Saskatchewan Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement. Other initiatives that have been implemented include $10 a day of child care and wage enhancements of up to $5 an hour for early childhood educator wages.
“Early childhood educators are the cornerstone of child care in Canada,” Canada’s Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Karina Gould, said. “Canada and Saskatchewan are working together to ensure ECEs have the support and resources they need to achieve success in their professional development.”
The funding for post-secondary institutions will expand previous investment in early childhood educator training and professional development with College Mathieu, Saskatchewan Polytechnic and the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies.
New this year is the expansion of training initiatives offered by Carlton Trail College, Cumberland College, Dumont Technical Institute, Great Plains College, Northwest College, Northlands College and Southeast College.
These post-secondary institutions will deliver additional tuition-free early childhood education programming beginning in the fall of 2023.
Training and professional development opportunities range from Early Childhood Education certificate and diploma courses to specialized training in autism, Métis cultural awareness, and Truth and Reconciliation.
