A financial support program to recruit, train and retain your new educators
Ready to participate as an employer?
Start with step 1! Register your childcare service on the portal
Register my environmentWork-Study Program
The program for employers
What is the Work-Study Program?
It is a specific formula of the AEC/ACS - Early Childhood Education which alternates between work in a childcare service and studies at CEGEP each week (18 months).
Participating CPEs and educational daycare services receive financial compensation to reimburse the wages paid to their staff in training during study hours, up to a maximum of $25 per hour.
A program that supports early childhood care sector
This support program is offered to all CPEs and educational childcares throughout Quebec.
To register educational childcare services that hold a Québec enterprise number (NEQ) and a permit issued by the Ministère de la Famille.
Family daycare services, drop-in daycare centers and school daycare services are not eligible.
The 3 benefits for participating employeurs
We lend you a hand to recruit future educators
The online portal facilitates your recruitment process. Nothing could be easier: create and post your job offers, consult your applications and select your future employee!
The best part? We take care of promoting your job offers through national communication campaigns, for each new school year!
We help you financially to train and retain your junior staff
You are able to remunerate your employee in training during their study time, since we reimburse their salary during the course hours (up to $25 per hour). Access to training is a major perk for the loyalty of your workforce, so don't miss out!
You have a part-time workforce available from the start of the training
In exchange for your investment, your employees in training make themselves available to work in your workplace, during working hours (excluding courses and approved holidays). During the school break (summer and winter), you can offer them the opportunity to work full time!
The 3 obligations for participating employers
Sign a contract with your educators in training
You must provide a temporary work contract for the entire duration of the program* with your educators admitted to the program by a CEGEP.
This contract must mention the hours of study and the hours of work offered, as well as the full remuneration for these hours.
*If your childcare service is attached to a collective agreement, the need for the employment contract may optional.
Sign the contract respecting the conditions of participation
Before the start of each cohort, you must sign the contract respecting the conditions of participation which commits you to:
- Free up your educators in training to follow their study hours;
- Offer an average of between 10 and 20 hours of paid work per week;
- Advance the remuneration of your educators in training during their study hours.
Consult the template (in French)
Validate monthly salary expense request
To receive financial compensation for the study hours of your educators in training, each month you must:
- validate salary expense requests, which are sent directly to you by email;
- AND provide pay stubs for the periods affected by the salary expense request, to confirm the amount reimbursed.
Rest assured, this process is explained to employers at the start of each cohort!
I want to take part in the work-study program
Next semester: 2023 Fall
Step 1 I From now on
From now on, I update my information
- I register my environment on the Early Childhood Work-Study portal
OR
- I connect to my Employer space to update all the information in my environment
Tip: neat logos, photos and descriptions catch the eye of candidates.
Step 2 I From July 10th, 2023
I create my job offers
I connect to my Employer space and I create my job offers.
Please note that this step is mandatory to receive external applications. The registration of my childcare service on the portal is not enough.
Advice: a neat and comprehensive job offer is more attractive to candidates.
Step 3 I Between July 17th and September 10th
My job offers are posted, I recruit!
- I receive external applications by email on my Employer Space and I conduct interviews;
- From my Employer space, I modify the status of each application received;
- I sign the promise of employment* with the selected candidate
After September 10th, 2023, I can no longer receive or register any new applications online.
Step 4 I September 11th and 12h
I finalize my recruitment
From my Employer space (My applications), I check that everything is in order.
I must:
- Indicate the appropriate status for each application received;
AND
- Submit the nominative and signed promise of employment for the selected applications
After September 12th, 2023, I can no longer edit the applications online.
And after that?
- As of September 25th, only applications with the status "Retained for submission to CEGEP" and a nominative and signed promise of employment are sent to the CEGEP for study of their admission
- Until March 10, the CEGEP contacts my selected candidates directly to finalize admission and registration for the program
*The job offer template is available in the Employer Kit.
Step 5 I Between October 16th and November 3rd
I formalize my participation
Once my candidates have been admitted to the program by a CEGEP,
- I make sure that the person has the prerequisites to work in early childhood: CPR and absence of impediment;
- I sign a temporary employment contract for the entire duration of the program;
- I participate in the information meeting on administrative process (by invitation);
- I sign the contract respecting the conditions of participation sent by the Early Childhood Work-Study Program by email, and I provide all the documents required to complete my employer file.
Classes start on November 6th in CEGEPs.
Step 1 - From now on
From now on, I update my information
- I register my environment on the early childhood work-study portal
OR
- I connect to my Employer Space to update all the information in my workspace.
Tip: neat logos, photos and descriptions catch the eye of candidates.
Step 2 I Between July 17th and September 10th
Registration forms are open: I register my candidates!
- I validate my internal candidates' desire to participate in the Work-Study Program
- From my Employer Space, I register my internal candidates. I need their contact information, their latest level of education, their date of birth and their permanent code.
- I sign and enclose the employment certificate*.
After September 10th, 2023, I can no longer receive or register any new applications online.
Step 3 I September 11th and 12h
I finalize my recruitment
From my Employer space (My applications), I check that everything is in order.
I must:
- Indicate the appropriate status for each application received
AND
- Submit the nominative and signed promise of employment for the selected applications
After September 12th, 2023, I can no longer edit the applications online.
And after that?
- As of September 25th, only applications with the status "Retained for submission to CEGEP" and a nominative and signed promise of employment are sent to the CEGEP for study of their admission
- Until March 10, the CEGEP contacts my selected candidates directly to finalize admission and registration for the program
- On March 20, the 2023 Winter semester begins in CEGEPs
*The job offer template is available in the Employer Kit.
Step 4 I Between October 16th and November 3rd
I formalize my participation
Once my candidates have been admitted to the program by a CEGEP,
- I make sure that the person has the prerequisites to work in early childhood: CPR and absence of impediment;
- I sign a temporary employment contract for the entire duration of the program;
- I participate in the information meeting on administrative process (by invitation);
- I sign the contract respecting the conditions of participation sent by the Early Childhood Work-Study Program, and I provide all the documents required to complete my employer file.
Classes start on November 6th in CEGEPs.
