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What has the Manitoba Government announced in 2005 that makes
a career in child care an even better choice?
In April 2005, Manitoba signed an agreement-in-principle Moving
Forward on Early Learning and Child Care with the Government
of Canada. Manitoba's Action Plan – Next Steps demonstrates how
federal funds will be invested to meet the goals set out in Manitoba's
Five-Year Plan for Child Care and to continue to build Manitoba's
non-profit, community based early learning and child care system
Here are some highlights of recent announcements that show how
a career in early learning and child care is an even better choice
than ever before.
Wages have increased
New funding for child care centres means that annual salaries for
Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) are now approximately $27,000.00
to $30,000.00.
More ECE College Seats
An additional $1.4 million has been announced to potentially double
the number of college seats available in our province for the two
year period 2005/06 – 2006/07. This will help to graduate more ECEs
to work in our licensed system.
Tuition Support Program
An Early Childhood Education Tuition Support Conditional Grant
of up to $4,000 is now available through Manitoba Student Aid to
full-time ECE college students to cover the cost of first year 2005/06
tuition. Call the college nearest you for enrollment information.
To get a copy of the Tuition Support Conditional Grant application,
call Child Care Information Services at 945-0776 or toll free at
1-888-213-4754 for a grant application.
Replacement Grant
A new Staff Replacement Grant is also now available to employers
of non-profit centres to cover the replacement cost incurred when
a child care assistant (CCA) substitute is used so that a currently
employed CCA staff may attend ECE college workplace training. Workplace
students who typically go to school two days a week and work three
days a week will now be able to continue to receive their full salary
while they train. Talk to your director about workplace training
and about this new Staff Replacement Grant.
Recruitment Fund
Another initiative being planned is the establishment of a Recruitment
Fund. This fund will be used to encourage trained and classified
ECE IIs and ECE IIIs who have left our field to come back to it.
While details are still being finalized, the fund will provide a
bonus of up to $3,000.00 to eligible ECE IIs or ECE IIIs (who have
been away from the field for a minimum of two years as of September
1, 2005) to resume an early childhood education career. Centres
with a current shortage of trained staff will be targeted and returning
ECEs will have to commit to working in the licensed system for a
period of two years.
Please call Child Care Information Services at 945-0776 (toll free
at 1-888-213-4754) if you are a trained and classified ECE and are
interested in resuming a career in child care.
For more information
To find out more about the agreement between the governments of
Manitoba and Canada and Manitoba’s action plan for child care, visit
our Moving Forward on Early Learning
and Child Care page.
You can also find out more about how you can help young Manitobans
get a better start in education and in life by visiting our Careers
in Child Care section.
Return to Careers in Child Care main page.
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