Workforce strategy

As the need for early childhood professionals continues to grow, job opportunities for individuals looking for a rewarding career are also increasing.

Early childhood professionals can work in several settings. These include:

• Licensed centred-based child care.
• Licensed home child care.
• Peel Inclusion Resources Services (PIRS).
• EarlyON Child and Family Centres.

If you wish to build a career as an early childhood professional, you can find job postings on the Peel Community Job Bank.

For other services and support to enter the workforce, refer to Employment Ontario Peel.

To qualify as a registered early childhood educator, you must:

• Become a member of the College of Early Childhood Educators.
• Meet the education requirements of the College of Early Childhood Educators by completing an early childhood education diploma from the Ontario College of Applied Arts and Technology.

The College of Early Childhood Educators may also recognize education or work experience not obtained from an Ontario College of Applied Arts and Technology.

For more information, refer to the Application Guide for the Individual Assessment of Educational Qualifications.

Educational pathways

There are many options available to support your educational journey to become an early childhood professional.

You can:

• Complete an accredited post-secondary school ECE program at an Ontario college or university.
• Pursue an apprenticeship to become a Child Development Practitioner.

Professional learning and development

The Child Development Resource Connection Peel offers high-quality, diverse, and responsive professional learning for Peel’s early childhood professionals. They offer engaging, relevant, and informative in-person, virtual, and pre-recorded learning sessions to educate professionals about the best care and practices for the children and families in Peel region.

Education and training grant

The Qualifications Upgrade Program offers financial assistance to individuals already working in child care or early years programs to complete their ECE diploma and advance their careers in early childhood education. This financial grant helps students cover the cost of:

• Tuition
• Travel
• Living expenses
• Membership fees

It also offers financial assistance to early childhood professionals to help them complete leadership certifications such as the Leadership Micro-Credential program from Sheridan College.

Eligibility

If you wish to apply for financial aid to complete your ECE diploma, you need at least 6 months of work experience in an eligible child care setting.

You can also apply with only 1 day of employment with an eligible agency if you are a:

• French speaker or if you can fluently speak French.
• First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
• Individuals already working in EarlyON or a child care and family program funded under any Indigenous-led Child and Family Centres.
• Special Needs Resourcing Agency, working under a Director's Approval, or a Skills Ontario Pilot.

Research and reports

We partnered with research partners to study and understand the early years and child care workforce better. Data collected from these studies will identify ways to address recruitment, retention, and growth in the early childhood workforce in Peel. Access the following reports:

• Centre-based workforce summary report, for information about the Sheridan College research.
• Licensed home child care workforce summary report, for information about the University of Toronto research.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion in EarlyON

We’ve been working with EarlyON providers to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the EarlyON system.

This involves:

• Using community data for better program planning.
• Reaching out to families effectively.
• Enhancing DEI competency.
• Ensuring high-quality experiences in all EarlyON programs.

A final report outlines our DEI journey in EarlyON.

Early years and child care job fairs

We’re working with community partners to host annual job fairs.

These job fairs provide an opportunity for employers and job seekers to:

• Discuss early years and child care job opportunities in Peel.
• Share important information and resources about the sector.

You are the Reason – A Day of Learning for Early Years and Child Care Professionals

On February 17, 2023, Peel Region hosted a virtual professional learning day for over 4,200 early childhood professionals. The day recognized the importance of their role in supporting children, families, and the community and motivated them to establish and achieve goals for their professional growth and learning.

Workforce Strategy Funding for Ontario Early Childhood Education Diploma Programs

This initiative provided financial assistance and greater access to post-secondary education through fully funded tuition grants or reduced tuition to eligible domestic full-time students aspiring to become early childhood professionals. Peel Region partnered with the City of Toronto, Durham Region, Halton Region, and 7 greater Toronto area colleges (Centennial, Durham, George Brown, Humber, Sheridan, Seneca, and Mothercraft), to launch this Initiative.

Onboarding new employees

Peel Region has created an online resource to onboard new individuals working in licensed child care and EarlyON Child and Family Centres.

The onboarding resources include:

• Introduction to Peel Region’s EYCC sector and programs.
• Onboarding checklists.
• Information about guidelines and community agencies that support programs and families. 

For more information, access resources for onboarding new employees. 

Peel Region is also exploring a mentorship pilot project to match new early childhood professionals with experienced staff to provide professional training and improve retention in the workforce. More information will be released as it becomes available.

Workforce Innovation Funding

Peel Region directly funds eligible child care providers to pilot innovative strategies and support expenses such as paid planning. This is to attract and retain eligible program staff working in licensed child care in Peel region.

In 2023, innovation funding was also available for Peel region’s 7 EarlyON providers.
During that time, eligible initiatives for EarlyON providers included:

• Professional learning.
• Credential evaluations.
• Recruitment costs.
• Policy reviews using a diversity, equity, and inclusion lens.

ECE leadership micro-credential

Halton Region and Peel Region in partnership with Sheridan College launched a new Early Childhood Education Leadership Micro-Credential program in September 2023.

This program has been designed for aspiring or current early childhood education professionals in leadership roles. In this course, learners gain relevant administration, leadership skills, professionalism, and advocacy responsibilities. 

Learners are required to complete 4 courses to obtain the micro-credential certificate.

Connecting to Careers in ECE

The early years and child care workforce strategy initiative aims to help 76 individuals from equity-deserving communities earn their ECE diploma.

It also offers comprehensive support such as:

• Fully funded tuition.
• Academic assistance.
• Job support.

We are collaborating with Humber College, Sheridan College, and Accessible Community Counselling and Employment Services on this initiative.

Peel Region provides eligible licensed child care providers with funding to support early years and child care workforces. These include:

• General Operating Fund.
• Wage Enhancement Grant.
• Home Child Care Enhancement Grant.
• Workforce Innovation Funding.
• Workforce Compensation Funding.

Refer to funding and support resources for more information.

Email us, if you have any questions about our Early Years and Child Care Workforce Strategy or recruitment and retention initiatives.