• Early Childhood Education Diploma and transcript from an Ontario College OR an Early Childhood Education Diploma and transcript recognized by the College of Early Childhood Educators OR a copy of your College of Early Childhood Educators registration card.
• Documentation stating previous experience (minimum 105 hours) with children who are developmentally delayed, as defined by the Child Care and Early Years Act (CCEYA). This experience can have occurred in a supervised field placement during the applicant’s early childhood education training, through volunteer work or work experience following graduation.
• Documentation stating one post-diploma year working as an Early Childhood Educator (ECE) in a licensed daycare centre.
• You must maintain an overall average of 60% or a GPA of 2.0 in order to graduate
• A minimum of 25% of courses must be completed through Durham College.

• Only original or certified copies of academic records will be accepted. In order for transcripts to be considered official, they must bear an original seal/stamp and/or official signature from an appropriate signatory. We do not accept photocopies or photos as this will make them unofficial as the school seal will not show.
• Official transcripts must be sent by the issuing institution via email or an official credit service such as MyCreds™ – a secure digital credential platform that allows you to access and share the documents from anywhere in the world and at any time.
• You can learn more about MyCreds™, including privacy and security, at MyCreds™.ca
• For more information on admissions click here.

Click to access the Program Application Form

This form must be submitted and an Admission Acceptance Letter received prior to registering for any courses.

Students are required to print or save a copy of the Program of Study when beginning the program. This document contains critical details about program progression and graduation requirements specific to the academic year in which your program was started.

Click to access the Program of Study for the current academic year.

Students who began this program prior to the current academic year may contact the Professional and Part-Time Learning office at ppl@durhamcollege.ca or 905-721-3052 to obtain your Program of Study and graduation requirements.

Program Length

• You will have a maximum of 15 semesters (5 years) from the start date of your first course to complete this program.
• The minimum amount of time to complete a program is unique to each student and based on multiple factors:
• Your capacity: How much time do you have to dedicate to your studies. A person with more time is able to take more courses each semester and complete the program faster then a student that has additional commitments.
• Number of courses in the program: The number of courses in each program differs and this is a key factor when calculating a completion timeline.
• Course pre-requisites: A pre-requisite is a course that must be completed prior to taking another course. The number of course pre-requisites in a program can play a factor in how quickly a program can be completed.
• Course availability: Not every course is offered every semester. In some instances, students may need to wait until the next time a specific course is offered and this may impact their completion timelines.

Program Cost

Professional and Part-Time Learning offers courses individually with no upfront program cost. You pay for each course when you register, and most courses cost between $350 and $400. To see the most up-to-date prices, visit the “Current Course Offerings” section on the program page and select the course of your choice. The cost will be displayed next to the “Add to Cart” button.

This program contains a field placement requirement.

For details, including paperwork submission deadlines, please visit the Field Placement Page, and for specific program-related field placement questions, please review the Early Childhood Education - Resource Consulting Field Placement FAQs.

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be equipped to:

• Build and maintain responsive relationships and partnerships with children with special needs and families from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds including Indigenous peoples’ worldviews and Francophone identity, to provide culturally relevant early learning opportunities, programs and services.
• Recommend, discuss and plan, in partnership with families and early childhood educators, inquiry and play -based early learning program adaptations to accommodate and support learning, holistic development and well-being in children with special needs.
• Advise and lead early childhood educators and children’s service partners in the development of a philosophy of inclusion and policies and practices that support diverse, equitable and accessible learning opportunities for children with special needs and their families.
• Administer observation strategies and screening tools to interpret and document children’s learning and to identify children with challenges and facilitate family’s referrals to resources for further assessment and intervention as necessary.
• Collaborate with children, families, early learning educators, health professionals and children’ s service partners to facilitate the planning, co-ordination and evaluation of individualized support plans for children with special needs.
• Plan, deliver and evaluate strength-based training to children, families, early childhood educators and children’s service partners to support quality, inclusive early years and child-care programs and services for children with special needs and families.
• Provide consultation, service coordination and referral support to families, early childhood educators and children’ s service partners to support communication, collaboration and continuity of services for children with special need s and families.
• Comply with current legislation, regulations, policies and evidence-informed practices in early years and childcare settings to provide quality early learning programs and services for children with special needs and their families.
• Advocate for inclusive, meaningful and purposeful early learning opportunities and services for children with special needs, their families and communities.
• Engage in reflective practice and keep current in emerging research within the early years sector to lead initiatives related to inclusive practice and improving early learning opportunities, programs and services for all children and especially those living with special needs and their families.

Potential career and industry options may include:

• Integrated and community based programs
• Consultative services
• Specialized settings serving children with special needs

Have you completed all your courses and program requirements? If so, please complete an Application for Graduation form and submit the required fee to the Office of the Registrar. For more information, visit the graduation page.