Funding and training opportunities for early childhood educators

Overview

Quality child care starts with highly skilled educators.

The Government of Alberta has provided grant funding to several organizations to support the early childhood workforce. The organizations will administer funding to help educators take targeted training and professional development opportunities.

Note: this is in addition to the professional development funding administered through the Alberta Child Care Grant Funding Program.

Brain Story Certification

The Brain Story Certification provides participants with an understanding of the scientific underpinnings of early brain development. This course is available to the public for free through the Alberta Family Wellness Initiative.

Following the certification, educators will have an opportunity to take theory-to-practice sessions. These sessions will focus on the important role early childhood educators play in brain development in the early years of a child’s life, and help them integrate their new learnings into their daily work.

There is no cost to register and complete this training. After receiving the online Certificate of Completion, certified early childhood educators are eligible to be reimbursed for 20 hours of course time and for 10 hours of theory-to-practice-sessions.

To learn more and register, contact the Association of Early Childhood Educators of Alberta.

Developmental Screening Training

The Developmental Screening Training will help early childhood educators implement child development screening processes using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire screening tools. This training is free for certified educators.

Early childhood educators will be reimbursed for their time spent taking this training. The number of hours will vary depending on the type of training required.

To learn more and register, contact the Alberta Resource Centre for Quality Enhancement.