Niagara Region Children's Services New Hire Tuition Reimbursement Grant, funded through Niagara Region and coordinated by the ECCDC, was a recruitment and retention strategy to attract and retain RECEs that graduated from Niagara College’s Early Childhood Educator (ECE) Program in Spring 2023. The Early Childhood Community Development Centre (ECCDC) administered the grant by providing an online portal for applications; reviewing applications against eligibility criteria; and issuing letters of approval and funds. 25 eligible graduates who completed a minimum of 650 hours of paid employment as an RECE prior to December 31, 2023 at a licensed child care centre and/or an EarlyON Child and Family Centre with a service agreement with Niagara Region were provided up to $3,000 in funding. The Grant supported the successful applicants’ transition to a professional environment after graduation and provided an incentive to work as an RECE in the early years and child care sector within Niagara.