Assiniboine brings Childcare Assistant program to Birtle

Assiniboine Community College is pleased to announce that a part-time Childcare Assistant course is being held in Birtle at the Birtle Collegiate, starting in January 2024.

In Manitoba, there is a requirement for Child Care Assistants (CCAs) and licensed home-based child care providers to complete a 40-hour early childhood education course within their first year of employment. Assiniboine is now offering several new and accelerated options for one of the CCA-accredited courses - the Overview of Early Childhood.

“This new offering from Assiniboine will provide new CCAs and licensed home-based child care providers with a faster and more efficient means of obtaining their required certification”, said Ryan Cardwell, Chair of Early Childhood Education (ECE) at Assiniboine.

This course, being offered in Birtle along with several other rural communities in the coming months, was made possible by a $11.4 million dollar investment from both the Province of Manitoba and the Government of Canada, which included expanded programming options for other early learning and child care training and education at Assiniboine.

“The importance of quality child care cannot be overstated, particularly in rural areas where access to such services may be limited. The CCA course plays a vital role in addressing this gap by providing essential training for individuals passionate about contributing to the well-being and early development of children,” said Cardwell. “The Overview of Early Childhood course is a vital component in helping new professionals develop an understanding of the foundational concepts and principles of early childhood education. This is critical as they start working with children and families. We are excited to bring this course to Birtle”.

The labour market demand in early learning is high, and the college is committed to preparing individuals for work in this important field throughout the province.

The three week course will be held at Birtle Collegiate beginning January 9, 2024. The cost for participants, as well as the dates and times for the CCA course can be found at assiniboine.net/cca.