Early childhood course still comes up short
Last Updated: Tuesday, November 10, 2009 | 8:23 AM AT
CBC News
Holland College has made some changes to the rollout of its accelerated course on early childhood care and education because enrolment isn't as high as expected.
The P.E.I. government arranged for the course, which is being offered free to people working in child-care centres across the province, to ease a labour shortage when child-care workers move to schools with kindergarten. Kindergarten is currently run out of daycare centres but will move into schools next September.
When the program was first announced, officials thought they would have 50 students studying in two locations, Charlottetown and Summerside, but despite an extended deadline there are still only about 30 applicants. That deadline passed on Friday.
Holland College has decided to offer the course only in Charlottetown. It will offer two 44-week sessions: one starting at the end of this month and another in January.
"One of the reasons that we've opted to go with the two cohorts is that we have eight centres on the Island where multiple staff applied to the program," college registrar Donna Sutton said.
"To have staff exit their employment and come to school all at the same time would have been problematic in order to keep the centres running. So by dividing up when the students start, it makes for an easier transition for the centres themselves."
Provision may be made for travel for people who will now need to commute to class.
Sutton believes the time commitment, the lack of a summer break and the cut in pay because of going on employment insurance are the likely reasons for the lower than expected enrolment.
The first Charlottetown class begins Nov. 23.
