Two cégeps recently announced that they are suspending their early childhood education training programs this fall due to a lack of applicants. According to Radio Gaspésie, Cégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles received only two registrants for the Fall semester, while La Presse reports that Cégep Gérald-Godin received just five applicants. As a result, both institutions temporarily paused their programs. Gérald-Godin’s directeur des études Simon Fortin said that the decline in applicants is a province-wide issue caused by poor working conditions in the early childhood education sector, despite the significant demands in the job market. Fortin added that the cégep has not given up on the program and will attempt to build a student cohort for 2026.
