Continuing Education Program

Overview of the Continuing Education Program program:

The Continuing Education Program, administered by the Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, is a workforce development initiative designed to enhance the qualifications of Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) working in licensed child care settings. The program specifically supports staff who are employed but do not yet hold formal ECE credentials by enabling them to pursue recognized, part-time diploma-level training while continuing to work. This initiative reflects Nova Scotia’s broader commitment to building a highly qualified, professional early childhood workforce in alignment with the Canada–Nova Scotia Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement. The program removes financial and logistical barriers by covering the cost of tuition and books, and by delivering training through approved post-secondary institutions in flexible formats (such as online or evening classes) to accommodate working professionals. Applicants must be actively employed at least part-time in a licensed child care center and must not already hold a diploma or degree in early childhood education. Courses are delivered part-time to ensure educators can continue working during their studies. The program aligns with the province’s long-term goal of increasing the number of qualified Level 2 and Level 3 ECEs in Nova Scotia. This program is part of a larger workforce strategy that includes bursaries, grants, wage support, and recruitment incentives, aimed at stabilizing and enhancing the child care sector across the province.

Eligibility criteria of the Continuing Education Program program:

• To receive Continuing Education Program funding for the 2023/2024 fiscal year (ending March 31, 2024), applicants must meet the following criteria:
• Be studying part-time and currently working with children or families in a regulated child care or Pre-primary program, or a family home agency or program.
• Be working as a teacher/educator, director, assistant director, family home child care provider or agency staff.
• Must be taking courses towards obtaining a Level 2 or Level 3 classification or leadership training in one of the following programs:
• Early childhood education diploma at an approved NS post-secondary institution,
• Undergraduate degree in Child and youth Study at Mount St. Vincent University,
• Early Childhood Administrator Continuing Education Certificate Course at Mount St. Vincent University,
• Early Childhood Leadership Training Program at Nova Scotia Community College,
• Leadership en petite enfance at Universite Sainte-Anne, or
• Inclusion and Intervention Diploma at Jane Norman College.