Starting this month, Capilano University will expand its Early Childhood Education programs at the university’s Sechelt campus and in Squamish.
The one-time expansion will take place over the next two years after a funding boost of $874,908 from the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training, with $414,454 earmarked for Sechelt and $460,454 for Squamish.
Coursework will be delivered in a flexible format that includes in-person and online classes scheduled in the daytime, evenings, and on weekends. Classes in Sechelt will be offered at the kálax-ay Sunshine Coast campus. Classes in Squamish will be held at Quest University.
The expansion will provide educational opportunities to students in the Sechelt and Squamish communities who may otherwise have to travel to North Vancouver for course work, Brad Martin, dean of the Faculty of Education, Health & Human Development, said in a release.
“The flexible course schedule affords opportunities for students to blend their work, home, and university life more easily, with the goal that those in the program can continue to work, rather than having to step out of employment when there are important needs in communities for childcare educators,” he said.
Graduates from the diploma program typically go on to work with children under the age of five in licenced preschools and childcare centres, the university said, adding that the demand for qualified ECE educators is high in both Sechelt and Squamish.
