Skills Up

The Skills Up Family Child Care program is designed to help participants be set up with the skills and knowledge needed to successfully start a home childcare business or to become a Child Care Assistant. The participants will complete this program with a variety of certificates including Certified Food Handler Training, Emergency First Aid/ CPR level C, WEVAS and Child Care Assistant.

Skills UP is an 18-week program. Training takes place at Red River College. The training offered is free to the participants also offered is free childminding. A possible travel allowance is provided to those who show a need removing prominent barriers and ensuring the success of the participants.

Skills up will help in overcoming a significant shortage of childcare spaces which is a barrier to economic security through the opening of new licensed Family child care spaces that offer quality child care. It will address building skills for employment by targeting unemployed or underemployed residents who have a love for children and a desire to enter the child care field.

Skills Up is a program developed between PCRC, ITES and other Community partnerships. It is funded through the Government of Canada and the Manitoba Government.

If you love kids and are interesting in finding out more information on opening up your own home based child care business through this program, contact the Skills Up team.

Please note that due to Covid-19, the Skills Up Program is not currently running.

To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key.

A Participant's Story

Ketki Kamath became the first Skills Up graduate to get approval by the city of Portage la Prairie to begin her own home day care. She obtained the Zoning Variance for the business.
Ketki is a new comer from India who moved to Portage four years ago. We are extremely proud of her to have successfully completed the Skills UP Program training and be set up for starting her own licensed day care through which she will be reducing the significant shortage of child care spaces by providing quality child care.