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Waterloo Region giving $5K bursary to students in Conestoga College ECE apprenticeship program

A student walks past the Conestoga College sign in Kitchener, Ont. Ahmad Fareed Khan / Global News

Students enrolled in Conestoga College’s child development practitioner apprenticeship program hit a mini-jackpot on Thursday.

Waterloo Region announced that it will be giving a $5,000 bursary to students enrolled in the program at the college’s Doon Campus in Kitchener.

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“We want to help students to become (registered early childhood educators) by removing existing barriers and encouraging anyone working in a licensed setting to enrol in the program, where they can continue to work and earn a living,” Barb Cardow, director of Children’s Services, stated,

“Early Years and Child Care practitioners play an integral part in a child’s learning. This investment will help to support those seeking a career in this rewarding profession that is vital to the children and families in our community.”

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The $125,000 the region has allotted for the program is coming from a $4 million federal government fund looking to help address a shortage of staff in early childhood education centres.

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Conestoga’s program last three years and looks to provide those working in child care settings without a formal education an opportunity to address that on a part-time basis.

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