Early Childhood Education

The two-year Early Childhood Education Ontario College Diploma program prepares students to become an educator of children in a variety of early learning settings. Learners will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to work with families and other professionals to support children`s learning and development. This program provides students with the ability to create, implement and assess play and inquiry-based curricula while building stimulating child-centred environments.

Students will benefit from both theoretical and hands-on learning opportunities and will have three placements during the program that focus on children from birth to age 12. These real-world experiences allow students to integrate theory with professional practice in early learning program settings. Through placements, students gain valuable hands-on skills and experience to help understand the diverse roles, settings, and responsibilities of an Early Childhood Educator.

Upon graduation, students are eligible to register with the College of Early Childhood Educators (CECE). Registration with the CECE is required to be eligible to work as an Early Childhood Educator in Ontario.

What You’ll Learn

• Create learning contexts to enable, build and maintain caring, responsive relationships in partnerships with children, families and communities that value and respect social, cultural and linguistic diversity including Indigenous peoples` worldviews and Francophone identity.
• Co-create, facilitate and reflect upon inquiry and play-based early years and child care programs and pedagogical approaches to support children`s learning, holistic development and well-being following children`s capabilities, interests, ideas and experiences.
• Co-design and maintain inclusive early learning environments to value and support equitable, accessible and meaningful learning opportunities for all children, their families and communities in a range of early years and child care settings.
• Collaborate with children, families, colleagues, agencies and community partners to create, maintain, evaluate and promote safe and healthy early learning environments to support independence, reasonable risk-taking and healthy development and well-being.