Columbia Basin Trust is launching two new programs focused on improving the quality of child care and strengthening the Early Childhood Educator (ECE) workforce in the Columbia Basin with wage and training subsidies.

“We heard from child care providers that low wages and high training costs are significant factors in the recruitment and retention of qualified staff which then impacts the availability and accessibility of child care in the Columbia Basin,” said Johnny Strilaeff, President and CEO at Columbia Basin Trust. “These new programs will help address these challenges with wage and training subsidies that will help child care professionals and new graduates remain in the region, while keeping child care affordable for families.”

Delivered by College of the Rockies, one program will provide a $2/hour wage subsidy to enhance the hourly rate of ECEs working in eligible, licensed facilities and the second will provide ECE Assistants (ECEAs) and ECEs working in licensed facilities with a training wage of up to $12,000 to complete or upgrade their credentials.

“Our local community organizations have told us there is a significant need for qualified Early Childhood Educators in our region,” said Tracey Whiting, Manager of Cranbrook Continuing Education & Contract Training at College of the Rockies. “The wage subsidy and training wage programs will go a long way in encouraging individuals to consider a rewarding career helping to shape the lives of young children.”

These two programs fall under the Trust’s Child Care Support Program, which helps ensure access to safe and affordable child care that enables Basin residents to work and Basin businesses to retain employees. Since 2017, the program has helped create 821 new child care spaces, improve nearly 2,600 existing spaces and certify and train more than 130 ECEs.

Find Early Childhood Educator Wage Subsidy Program details at ourtrust.org/ecewagesubsidy.

Find Early Childhood Educator Training Wage Program details at ourtrust.org/ecetrainingwage.

Columbia Basin Trust supports the ideas and efforts of the people in the Columbia Basin. To learn more about the Trust’s programs and initiatives, and how it helps deliver social, economic and environmental benefits to the Basin, visit ourtrust.org or call 1-800-505-8998.

Columbia Basin Trust operates in the unceded traditional territories of the Ktunaxa, Lheidli T’enneh, Secwepemc, Sinixt and Syilx Nations.

Lead image: Two new wage and training subsidies will improve child care services and strengthen the Early Childhood Educator workforce in the Columbia Basin, with support from the Trust. Columbia Basin Trust photo

Columbia Basin Trust

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