ECE Placements & Observing the Young Child FAQs Please review these FAQs for details about placement documentation, registration processes, eligibility criteria, and other essential information to help you successfully prepare for your placement experience. Am I eligible for field placement / Observing the Young Child? You are eligible to apply for field placement if you have the following: Successful completion of ALL required prerequisite(s) by the placement course start date. Achieved a minimum Program GPA of 2.0 Completed / approved placement paperwork by the posted deadline. Note: You will be advised via email (sent to your DCMAIL.ca email address) and removed from the placement course if you have not met the above minimum criteria. Can I apply for placement if I am currently taking one or more of the required prerequisites? Yes, your eligibility audit will indicate your current registration in the prerequisite course(s). The placement officer will confirm successful completion of the prerequisite(s) before you can be cleared to begin placement. (Note: Final grades are posted approximately 1 week before the course start date) When do I apply for placement? All students wishing to apply for a field placement, must complete the placement request form. Placement requests are open approximately six weeks before the paperwork deadline, allowing students to begin submitting paperwork early. The request form will close ONE WEEK BEFORE the posted deadline date. No requests will be accepted once the form is closed. Some requirements may take longer to receive than anticipated. Students are strongly encouraged to begin collecting these requirements the semester before the placement is to begin. What documents are required for my field placement? The following documents are required for each Early Childhood Education (ECE) field placement: ECE Field Placement Application Form - includes Observing the Young Child. (available only during the posted application timeframe) Entry Immunization Form Criminal Reference Check with Vulnerable Sector Screening Intermediate First Aid & Level C CPR Certification (formerly called Standard First Aid & Level C CPR) Student Declaration of Understanding Informed Consent for the Release of Personal Information Online Training Module Completion Certificates (accessed via PPL’s Paperwork Modules): Workplace Hazardous Materials Information (WHMIS) Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities (AODA) Workplace Violence and Harassment Prevention Worker Health and Safety Awareness in 4 Steps Note: All placement paperwork must be uploaded to Synergy Gateway prior to the posted deadline. Where do I upload my placement documents? Students will upload their documents to Verified by Synergy Gateway. Where can I access the four Health & Safety training certificates? Students can access the Worker Health & Safety Awareness in 4 Steps, WHMIS, AODA and Workplace Violence and Harassment Prevention trainings via the DC Connect Paperwork modules. Students who have already completed these certificates for previous placements within their program are not required to complete the trainings again. Trainings from other sources are not accepted. How do I gain access to Synergy? Once the student completes the placement request form, the placement officer will complete an eligibility audit, and if eligible, will add the student to Synergy Gateway. Synergy Gateway will send login instructions to the student’s DCMail account. Can I do my placement in person or remotely? All Early Childhood Education (ECE) placements must be completed in person. Remote or hybrid placements are not available for ECE programs. How do I register? Web registration is not available for field placement courses. Students will be registered by the placement officer once the placement request has been submitted and the eligibility audit has been completed. The tuition fee will be added to your student account for payment before the course start date. If applicable, final grades from prerequisite courses from the previous semester must also be posted. How many hours must I complete for placement? ECE Field Placement, Level 1: 182 hours ECE Field Placement, Level 2: 182 hours ECE Field Placement, Level 3: 245 hours Am I required to find my own placement? Students living within the Durham Region are placed at the first available agency approved by the Placement Officer. Due to limited availability, placements are arranged by the college, and students should not contact agencies directly. Students living outside of Durham Region must find their own placement and submit the agency details through the application form provided in the DC Connect Pre-Placement Paperwork module. The Placement Officer must approve all placements. Can I do my placement in another province? Field Placements in this program must be completed within the Province of Ontario. What credentials does my agency supervisor need to have? Students must be supervised by a Co-operating Teacher who is an RECE. “Director Approved” or “Otherwise Approved” staff are not approved for supervision. Students attending a school setting (final placement only) must be supervised by the classroom teacher (OCT) or RECE. May I do my placements at the same setting? Students are required to complete each placement in a different centre in different classrooms/age groups. Are there any agency restrictions? ECE placements are limited to licenced daycare centres for the first two placements. Students have the option to choose a specialized setting for their final placement. Specialized placements are completed within public/catholic schools, Montessori and EarlyON centres. Home daycares are not approved as ECE placement host settings. I work full time. How can I do a placement also? Students may find it necessary to make personal adjustments to work and/or family schedules in order to complete the field placement. Options to be considered are: leaves of absence, use of vacation time, extended work hours to free up hours for placement, etc. We recognize that such arrangements require a great deal of time and effort on the students’ (and their families’) part and applaud their commitment to the achievement of their goals. May I do my placement where I work? Doing your placement where you work is a conflict of interest and is not permitted. However, students may have opportunities within their workplace to complete a placement in another department, under a different supervisor. Please contact the field placement officer for more information and whether this option applies to you. Note: Placements are unpaid learning opportunities. May I do my placement where a relative is employed? Students are not permitted to complete a placement experience where they have a relative or familial relationship with anyone with supervisory responsibility at the agency. This would be considered a conflict of interest. My agency host wants to pay me, is this allowed? Field placements are unpaid learning opportunities, and therefore, students are not permitted to accept payment for the field placement experience. Can I apply for a specialized placement (school setting)? Specialized placements are limited and are awarded based on eligibility and merit. Students may apply for their final placement providing they meet the following eligibility criteria: Successful, incident-free completion of previous placements. Demonstration of professional behavior, honesty, and timely submission of documentation. A cumulative program GPA of 4.0 or higher. Submission of an essay clearly addressing: Your career goals (where you see yourself in five years). Three strengths you bring to the chosen environment. One skill area you wish to develop further as an educator. Am I able to challenge my field placements? Field placements 1 and 2 are eligible for a PLAR (Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition). The final placement is not eligible for PLAR. Note: If you plan to challenge your first placement through PLAR, you are also encouraged to challenge "ECE Field Placement Preparation 2" and "Observing the Young Child," as these are co-requisite courses. Please contact the PPL Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) coordinator for eligibility requirements and how to apply here: pplplar@durhamcollege.ca I need to register for my field placement, but OSAP has not provided me with my funds yet. What do I do? Please send an email to pplplacements@durhamcollege.ca to advise the placement officer at the same time as you submit your placement request form. Regardless of your OSAP status, you will be required to submit all of your complete documentation by the posted deadlines. Can I call or email for placement status updates? We encourage students to check DC Connect and your DCMAIL.ca account daily for updates and any important communication. Depending on your program and the type of agency you are to be placed with, securing and confirming a placement can take time. You will be contacted as soon as your agency has been confirmed and approved. May I begin my placement before the course begins? No. Students must ensure that they have been officially cleared prior to beginning their hours at the host agency. Clearance will not occur prior to the start date for the placement course. How will I know when I can begin my hours? Each student will receive official clearance via email to their DCMAIL.ca account only advising them of placement details and official clearance date. Students cannot start placement before official clearance is received. What is the withdrawal policy for field placements? Please view the PPL Withdrawals & Refunds Page for details. Once registered, withdrawals are subject to a minimum $30 admin fee. For detailed information about Paperwork Submission Deadlines and the Field Placement Process, click here. If you have additional questions, please contact us here.
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