CANADA-WIDE EARLY LEARNING AND CHILD CARE PROGRAM
Region of Waterloo and Conestoga College working together to support Early Childhood Educators

The Region of Waterloo is working hard to support Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) and expansions in child care across the community. Under the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) program, the Region has already added over 2,000 new spaces for children ages 0 to 5 in the last two years. It is on track to create a total of over 3,725 new spaces by the end of 2026.

"As one of the fastest growing municipalities across the country, the Region of Waterloo continues to create more high-quality child care spaces across the community," said Regional Chair Karen Redman. "We know that we can't grow this community without the support of child care workers. They play an essential role in nurturing our youngest residents."

Recently, the Region teamed up with Conestoga College to host Waterloo Region's annual Early Years Professional Learning Day for ECEs and early years professionals to learn and network through workshops and keynote speakers. Providing well-educated ECEs and early years professionals with access to ongoing high quality professional learning is critical to ensuring that our youngest citizens receive the care and education they deserve.

The event was well received by the 1,700 attendees who access most of their professional learning on their own time and cost. Support and events like this recognize the importance of ECEs and early years professionals and help to broaden their access to professional learning.

"We were honoured to co-host this conference alongside the Region of Waterloo. Accessible child care is essential for all families in our community, directly supporting workforce participation and fostering provincial economic growth," said Tanya Kell, Dean, School of Community Services, Access and Continuing Education at Conestoga College. "We are proud to offer high-quality Early Childhood Education programs, and we are committed to creating flexible options and pathways to meet the significant labour market needs in this sector."

With the demand for ECEs growing, Conestoga College is supporting the development of the profession with specialized education and resources for those in child care. Visit the School of Community Services to learn more about ECE programming at Conestoga.

The Region continues to develop initiatives to promote and support ECEs in the community, as well as to provide more opportunities for families to find child care. To find out more about ECEs and the early years, visit the Region's website: regionofwaterloo.ca/early-years.