COLLEGE OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC
Academy Canada, CNA sign articulation agreement

Graduates of Academy Canada's (AC) two-year Early Childhood Education (ECE) program will have direct-entry acceptance into College of the North Atlantic's (CNA) Advanced Diploma in ECE Administrative Leadership.

Lisa Lovelady, Vice President Academic & Chief Operating Officer at Academy Canada, joined Jason Rolls, CNA's Vice President Academics and Applied Research, for the signing of an articulation agreement between the two post-secondary institutions.
 

Upon successful completion of the Advanced Diploma in ECE Administrative Leadership, students may apply directly to the fourth year of CNA's Bachelor of Applied Arts in Early Childhood Education. 
 
This new pathway is the result of an articulation agreement recently signed between the two post-secondary institutions and comes from collaborative efforts to increase the workforce capacity within this sector. The federal-provincial Early Learning and Child Care Action Plan aims to increase the percentage of fully certified ECEs by at least 60 per cent by the end of 2025 and approximately 700 additional seats are being added to post-secondary early learning and child care programs in NL to help meet this goal.

"Partnerships, such as this one, allow graduates to advance their careers even further," said Lisa Lovelady, Vice President Academic & Chief Operating Officer at Academy Canada. "There is a significant need for skilled Early Childhood Educators of all levels in Newfoundland and Labrador, and we're proud to help meet that need by offering different training options and career pathways."

Academy Canada's ECE program is offered in St. John's, Corner Brook, and online.

CNA offers its one-year ECE Administrative Leadership (Advanced Diploma) program online and the four-year Bachelor of Applied Arts: ECE program is online-asynchronous (delivered fully online with no scheduled classes, and allows students to learn on their own schedule, in a flexible environment, within a certain time frame).

Jason Rolls, Vice President, Academic and Applied Research, says this collaboration represents another opportunity to address labour shortage gaps in the early childhood education sector and alleviate worries for some families about acquiring quality child care.

"We recognize there are concerns about the availability of early childhood educators in regions throughout this province, as well as the rest of Canada," he said. "CNA has been delivering Early Childhood Education programs for some time. To know that we are having a positive impact on the early development of children and providing support for their families through these initiatives means provincial standards and requirements are being met. Our graduates have experience working in a child care centre environment. 
Some benefits of this new agreement include:

• Increasing the supply of highly trained Early Childhood Educators in the labor force;
• Increased career opportunities and earning potential for new graduates; and,
• Graduates can receive a total of 3 new credentials: a college diploma from Academy Canada, an advanced diploma from CNA, and a degree from CNA.

To learn about CNA's Bachelor of Applied Arts - Early Childhood Education program, visit, HERE.

For more information about Academy Canada's Early Childhood Education diploma program, visit HERE.