Georgian College Owen Sound Campus (Photo by Nathan Shubert)
Bruce County is offering new financial support to students looking to pursue early childhood education.
The financial support will assist both Fanshawe College’s ECE program out of its satellite campus in Port Elgin by covering up to half of the tuition for eligible students, and offering up to $2,000 per academic year to eligible students attending Georgian College.
Acting Associate Dean of Fanshawe’s School of Access Studies and Regional Delivery Heather Mackenzie-Card says, “Fanshawe is excited about the opportunities this partnership brings to Bruce County, as part of our commitment to unlocking the potential of our students and the communities we serve.”
Georgian College Executive Director of the Owen Sound Campus Dave Shorey adds eligible local students who apply to their ECE program are automatically considered for the financial support.
“It’s a tremendous offering to support students who are considering pursuing a career in early childhood education and it removes those financial barriers that some students might experience,” says Shorey.
He says there is a high demand for ECEs in the region and the financial support will allow the growing number of students interested in become an ECE to pursue the program.
“It’s really quite aligned with both need and interest,” says Shorey. “It’s an acknowledgement that Georgian College and Bruce County have been partners for a long time in workforce localization and development, recognizing that there are people interested in pursuing ECE as a line of work, but also quite critical in terms of our ability to support the community for those that are looking to go to work, that there is reliable high-skilled people that are actually providing early childhood education in the region.”
For those looking to become an ECE, Shorey says the review cycle will open this August.
More details about the financial support can be found on the Bruce County website here.
