Dec. 1, 2022

Three levels of government have come together to invest in the future of early childhood education in Ontario, with a focus on training and the retention of educators locally.

Seneca’s School of Early Childhood Education (ECE) and Faculty of Continuing Education is receiving $3 million as part of the Child Care and Early Years Workforce Funding. These funds are being used to establish an ECE bursary program that will be available to domestic students through to the Fall 2023 Term.

“This funding is welcome news for Seneca’s dedicated ECE students,” said Heather Lewis, Chair, School of Early Childhood Education. “We are thrilled to be working with all levels of government to support students as they prepare for fulfilling careers working with children.”

The funding from the Government of Canada will be distributed through York Region and the Ontario Ministry of Education, Child Care and Early Years Workforce. It will support the education, recruitment and retention of child care and early years educators in York Region. All levels of government are looking to increase domestic enrolment in ECE programs and grow Canada’s early learning and child care workforce. 

The distribution of the funds through York Region is fitting, as it builds on a partnership with Seneca that has already resulted in transformative professional development practices in ECE. This includes work currently being done at Seneca’s ECE Lab School, as well as new microcredentials, support for apprentices and the development of retention strategies in a sector with very high turnover.

“Through the strong partnership between York Region and Seneca, the ECE Bursary Program supports professional development practices in early childhood education,” said Monica Bryce, Director, Integrated Children’s Services, Regional Municipality of York. “The program leverages Seneca’s extensive professional connections within the childcare community in the Region, which helps both students and employers.”

These new bursaries are now available in the following programs:

• ECE Full-Time Diploma Program and ECE Full-Time Accelerated Diploma Program - $2,000 per eligible term
• ECE Part-Time Accelerated Diploma Program – Reimbursement for registration fee(s) up to a maximum of six courses per eligible term
• ECE Part-Time Diploma Program or Continuing Education courses – Reimbursement for registration fee(s) up to a maximum of three courses per eligible term

“We need more ECE professionals to meet the growing demand for high-quality, licensed, early learning and child care centres in Ontario,” said Ms. Lewis. “Seeing governments working together to lessen the financial burden on students is a big step in the right direction.”

Information about applying for financial aid can be found on MySeneca.