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August 27, 2025
Career growth just got easier for those in the child care industry with MITT’s new Early Childhood Education Workplace diploma program launching January 2026.
The two-year provincially accredited program is built for child care assistants who are ready to level up to an Early Childhood Educator Level II (ECE II) classification without pausing their career. Students will split time between the classroom and their child care centre with two days of school and three days of work per week, meaning their child care job serves as both employment and a learning lab.
“There’s a growing demand for skilled child care workers across Manitoba. This program meets that need without pulling people out of the workforce,” said Curtis Aab, Dean of Health, Hospitality, Human Services, and Post-Graduate Programs at MITT. “It also expands access to college education. Students get hands-on learning, expert instruction, and real-time practice, all while staying on the job and on the payroll.”
Students can get help with their tuition, too, with a reimbursement of up to $5,000 per year from the Canada-Manitoba Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) Agreement. Child care centres can find support as well by applying for the Early Learning and Child Care’s Staff Replacement Grant to help cover the cost of filling an employee’s hours while they’re in class.
Given the growing need for skilled child care professionals, the program is a timely and welcome addition to the sector.
“Early childhood education is more than a job, it’s a true profession that’s vital to our community’s social and economic prosperity,” said Cordella Friesen, President and CEO of YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg, Manitoba’s largest child care provider. “When we keep passionate people in our centres and provide a pathway for them to grow, our children and the families that we serve benefit. A program like this does more than build careers, it builds better child care and, in turn, a stronger Manitoba.”
For more information about the program, visit MITT.ca/early-childhood-workplace.
Applications for the Early Childhood Education Workplace program are open now at apply.mitt.ca, with application fees waived for a limited time.
