New volunteer program in P.E.I.'s French daycares offers scholarships to high school students

The French Daycare Association of P.E.I. is offering a new opportunity for high school students to start on the path to becoming early childhood educators.

The association is encouraging students in grades 11 and 12 to volunteer in its five Francophone daycare centres. In return, students gain not only scholarship money but also other benefits.

Director Kathleen Couture said students can volunteer for a maximum of two hours a day, as many days a week as they wish. Their tasks may include interacting with children, playing soccer outside, playing board games or simply sitting with and supporting the children.

"We'd like to see a lot of the youth become interested in early childhood education, or education," Couture told Island Morning host Mitch Cormier on Thursday.

She said there's a need for more French-speaking youth to pursue early childhood education careers in P.E.I., as it's "very difficult" to find staff for the five francophone daycare centres.

"We rely a lot on international recruitment of francophones."

Benefits for everyone

This new initiative is a partnership between the association, Collège de l'Île, and Jeunesse Acadienne et Francophone de l'Île-du-Prince-Édouard (JAFLIPE), an organization representing francophone and Acadian youth in P.E.I.

JAFLIPE president Hayden Cotton said many students in the francophone and Acadian community struggle to find French-speaking work experiences.

"This could help people out because sometimes it's really hard to find a place to volunteer," Cotton said. "It helps out the youth, but also the daycares because sometimes they don't have enough workers for the amount of kids that they have."

Students volunteering in the association's daycare centres can as usual benefit from the province's community services bursary program. If they accumulate 150 hours of volunteer work, they will receive a $1,500 scholarship for post-secondary education.

The group will also provide an extra $500 scholarship to those who choose to pursue early childhood education.

But there's another significant benefit: during their Grade 11-12 studies, students can take three college-credit courses for free, valued at $1,000, Couture added. These courses provide an introduction to early childhood education.

"When they graduate in Grade 12, they'll already have three credits that they can take to any college or any university, so it's a double-credit system. They'll also get a free first-aid course," she said. "It's a big package."

It helps out the youth, but also the daycares because sometimes they don't have enough workers for the amount of kids that they have.— Hayden Cotton

Couture said completing the three base courses at Collège de l'Île qualifies students as early childhood education interns.

"So the other added bonus to this program is these students could work for us as summer students through Canada Summer Jobs for youth."

Growing demand

Couture said the need for staff at francophone daycare centres in P.E.I. is expected to grow significantly in the coming years.

When the new Évangéline Education Centre in Abram-Village opens, its daycare centre's capacity will double, requiring 10 to 12 more educators. The child-care centre at École François-Buote in Charlottetown is also set to double its capacity within the next three years, which will create a need for an additional 16 staff members, Couture said.

The association is looking for volunteers from francophone schools as well as French immersion schools across the Island.

Each centre can accommodate two to three students, so the association expects to need about 15 students throughout the year. There is plenty of room for students to sign up now, Couture said.

Those interested in volunteering can contact JAFLIPE, the French Daycare Association of P.E.I., or find more information on the association online.