Continuing Education Program for Child Care Staff

This new program is intended to enhance the ability of licensed child care centres and family home day care agencies to recruit and retain staff. Providing financial support to child care staff to continue their education will enhance skills and qualifications. This program will also assist individuals interested in attaining an Early Childhood Education (ECE) credential part-time while working in licensed child care.

The program will provide reimbursement for continuing education courses to eligible staff working in licensed child care centers or family home day care (FHDC) agencies. Eligible childcare staff includes teachers, directors, assistant directors, special needs teachers and family home day care consultants who have worked in a licensed child care centre or FHDC agency for at least six months prior to the start date of the course.

Eligible staff can qualify for reimbursements totaling:

• up to a maximum of $1000.00 per year if employed part-time (70-120 hours per month)
• up to $5000.00 per year if employed full-time (more than 120 hours per month)

For courses that require staff members to attend classes during normal paid working hours, the centre or agency where the staff member is employed during that time, will continue to pay the staff member and will be eligible to receive funding based on a predetermined hourly rate for hours a substitute was required.

A fixed travel allowance of $250 per course is also available if an eligible staff person takes a course at a location that is further than 100 km away from their home and there is no option for the course to be available at a closer facility.

Staff members taking advantage of this reimbursement will be required to commit to work in a Nova Scotia licensed child care centre or FHDC agency for 750 or 1500 hours depending on the amount reimbursed and the timing of the reimbursement.

Eligibility

Eligible staff members will be reimbursed for courses taken if:

• The course is an approved course as determined by the Department of Community Services. See the list of approved courses (PDF).
• The course start date is on or after June 1, 2008.
• The course is successfully completed and verification was provided from the institution.
• The course is an eligible course based on the staff members’ Early Childhood Education training level:
• • An eligible staff person who has an ECE credential or equivalency can take any approved course.
  • An eligible staff person who does not have their ECE credential or equivalency must take courses towards obtaining their ECE diploma/degree.
• The course is 20 hours or more in duration.

Please refer to the Continuing Education Program Terms and Conditions (PDF) for detailed information on the eligibility and requirements of this program.

Next Steps

Refer to the Continuing Education Program Approved Course List (PDF). If you are an eligible staff member working in licensed child care or in a FHDC agency and are interested in a course that is not on this list, submit a Course Pre-Approval Form (PDF).

If you have taken a course and are applying for reimbursement submit an Application for Course Reimbursement (PDF) by printing and mailing it to:

Coordinator, Family Home Day Care & Early Childhood Education
Department of Community Services
P.O. Box 696
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 1H1

Please direct questions and/or comments about this program to ELCC@gov.ns.ca.