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  • Early Childhood Education

Early Childhood Education

Credential
Ontario College Diploma
Location
Oshawa
School
School of Health & Community Services (HCS)
Length
Four semesters
OCAS Code
ECE
Next Intake
September 2021   +View all Intakes
Featured image for program.
Apply Now
  • Overview
  • Program Details
  • Admission Requirements
  • Courses
  • Costs
  • Career Options
  • Field Placement
  • Transfer

Program Overview

Quality early childhood education (ECE) is critical in preparing children for future learning. As an early childhood educator, you will have an integral role in promoting children’s development from birth to age 12 within the following five domains: cognitive, social, emotional, language and physical. In the ECE program, you will engage in theoretical studies along with practical applications. Moreover, professional practice and ethics will guide you in working with families, understanding pedagogy and fostering belonging and well-being in children. Upon completion of your program, you will apply to the College of Early Childhood Educators, the provincial regulatory body, to become a Registered Early Childhood Educator (RECE) in Ontario.

Admission Requirements

  • Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or Mature Student Status
  • Grade 12 English (C or U) (minimum 60 per cent)

Note: this program has additional recommended requirements. Please visit the Admission Requirements tab for further information.

 

View All Requirements

Tuition

Year one domestic: $2,722 (CAD)
Year one international: $13,322 (CAD)

View Full Costs

Semester 1 Courses

  • Child Development 1 (CHLD 1100)
  • Communication Foundations - Health & Community Services (COMM 1803)
  • Curriculum Development 1 (EDUC 1105)
  • Field Placement Preparation (FDPL 1101)
  • General Education Elective (GNED 0000)
  • Wellness For Children (HLTH 1305)
  • Introduction To ECE Practices (LAWW 1100)

View All Courses

Educating Young Children
Educating Young Children
Working with Families
Working with Families
Providing Early Learning and Care
Providing Early Learning and Care

Technology recommendations

To help students succeed in programs with remote learning requirements, Durham College’s IT Services department has identified minimum technology recommendations. While these are not program requirements, these suggestions will help ensure students have the right tools to support a quality remote learning experience.

View All Recommendations

Intakes and Availability

Date Domestic Availability International Availability
September 2021OpenOpen
January 2022OpenOpen

Career Options

WHAT YOU COULD BE:

  • Early childhood educator
  • Early learning and care supervisor

View all Career Options

Program Details

This program will prepare you to meet the diverse needs of the early childhood education profession. You will acquire the knowledge and practical skills necessary to foster social, emotional, cognitive and physical development in children from infancy to age 12.

Program Learning Outcomes

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Use observation strategies to identify children’s strengths and challenges and to ascertain when children and families might benefit from additional support or community resources.
  6. Use professional communication in interactions with children, families, colleagues, employers, the regulatory body, government authorities and children’s service agencies to meet legal and ethical standards of the early years sector.
  7. Act in accordance with relevant legislation, regulations, College of Early Childhood Educators Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, agency policies and procedures and principles of evidence-informed practice and reflect upon their impact on one’s own role in early years and child care settings.
  8. Identify, report and document when a child is in a situation of perceived risk for, or actual neglect or abuse, in accordance with legislation, the College of Early Childhood Educators Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, policies and procedures.
  9. Create and engage in partnerships with families, communities, colleagues, inter-disciplinary professionals, authorities and child service agencies to advocate for quality early years and child care programs and services.
  10. Engage in reflective practice and continuous professional learning in accordance with principles of lifelong learning, evidence-informed practices in the early years sector and requirements of the College of Early Childhood Educators.

Admission Requirements

  • Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or Mature Student Status
  • Grade 12 English (C or U) (minimum 60 per cent)

Recommended

  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office

JANUARY START

If you begin classes in January, you will complete semesters 1 and 2 (Year 1) from January to August and semesters 3 and 4 (Year 2) from January to August.

 

Courses

The courses listed below are for incoming students. If you are a current student, please refer to your program of study for the year you began your program. Your program of study can be found on MyCampus.

Semester 1

  • Child Development 1 (CHLD 1100)
  • Communication Foundations - Health & Community Services (COMM 1803)
  • Curriculum Development 1 (EDUC 1105)
  • Field Placement Preparation (FDPL 1101)
  • General Education Elective (GNED 0000)
  • Wellness For Children (HLTH 1305)
  • Introduction To ECE Practices (LAWW 1100)

Semester 2

  • Guidance Of The Young Child (CHLD 1200)
  • Observing The Young Child (CHLD 1201)
  • Child Development 2 (CHLD 1202)
  • Academic Writing For Success Strategies (COMM 2715)
  • Field Placement 1 (ECEP 1200)
  • Curriculum Development 2 (EDUC 1201)
  • Field Placement Preparation 2 (FDPL 1200)

Semester 3

  • Introduction To Exceptionalities (CHLD 2100)
  • Field Placement 2 (ECEP 2100)
  • Curriculum Development 3 (EDUC 2100)
  • Field Placement Preparation 3 (FDPL 2102)
  • General Education Elective (GNED 0000)
  • General Elective Credit (GNED 1000)
  • Personal And Professional Wellness (HLTH 2305)

Semester 4

  • Field Placement 3 And Seminar (ECEP 2200)
  • Partnerships With Parents (EDUC 2200)
  • Ethics And Professional Practice (ETHC 2203)
  • Prevention And Identification Of Child Abuse (LAWW 2203)
  • Philosophies Of Early Childhood Education (PHIL 2200)

Courses and course descriptions are subject to change. Please note that as a result of COVID-19 the 2020-21 program of study may be modified to accommodate program delivery changes. Students should refer to their timetable for the most up-to-date course information.

Costs

Career Options

WHAT YOU COULD BE:

  • Early childhood educator
  • Early learning and care supervisor

WHERE YOU COULD WORK:

  • Childcare centres
  • Ontario Early Years Centres
  • Municipal parent child drop in programs (arts and fitness)
  • Montessori schools
  • Private home childcare settings
  • School boards (full-day kindergarten classroom)

Field Placement

Your learning experience will be complemented by three field placements, under the supervision of a Registered ECE. These field placement opportunities will be chosen from a variety of early learning settings that serve young children and their families. 

PRE-PLACEMENT REQUIREMENTS

Please note: There are costs associated with Electronic Student Permit Checking (ESPC), immunizations, lab tests and certifications.  Be sure to keep all of your receipts for income tax purposes.  These costs include:

  • Service fees for Verified, our documentation collection and ESPC verification partner.
  • Costs to complete mandatory immunizations, lab tests, and certifications.

It is required that students have completed the ESPC with Verified to be eligible for the field placement component of this program. You must (at your expense) provide:

  • A clear and current Criminal Reference Check (CRC) with Vulnerable Sector Screening (VSS). If you cannot provide a clear CRC with VSS, you may not be accepted for placement by a field placement agency. CRCs with VSS must be obtained from your local police station. You may be required to obtain additional CRCs with VSS to meet field placement agency requirements
  • Current Level C CPR from a recognized provider
  • Current standard first aid certification from a recognized provider
  • Entry immunization form completed by a health-care provider

Links:

  • Early Childhood Education ESPC Information Package
  • Verified ESPC User Guide

Program Transfer, Degree Completion and Additional Credentials

Qualified graduates can apply to Durham College’s Communicative Disorders Assistant and Youth Justice and Interventions graduate certificate programs.

Durham College also offers degree completion opportunities with a number of Canadian and international institutions. Sample diploma-to-degree opportunities include:

  • Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Educational Studies and Digital Technology  - Ontario Tech University (Ontario Tech)
  • Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) bridge – Ontario Tech
  • Bachelor of Professional Arts Human Services - Athabasca University
  • Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (Hons) - Brock University
  • Bachelor of Business Administration – General Business - Davenport University
  • Bachelor of Arts, majoring in: Creative Writing, History, Journalism, Screen Studies, or Sociology - Griffith University
  • Bachelor of Child and Family Studies - Griffith University
  • BASc in Early Childhood Degree Completion - Guelph University
  • Bachelor of Arts – Early Childhood Education & Care - Institute of Technology Carlow
  • Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Care and Education - Institute of Technology, Tralee (Ireland)
  • Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Education - Lakehead University
  • Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Studies - Ryerson University
  • Bachelor of General Studies -Thompson Rivers University
  • Bachelor of Social Work - University of Windsor
  • Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Disability Studies - University of Windsor

Please visit our pathways page to learn more about how you can transfer your credits towards a degree.

Technology Recommendations

To help students have the best remote learning experience possible, Durham College’s IT Services department has identified technology recommendations for each program based on course needs and software requirements. While not required, students may want to consider these suggestions if they are purchasing a computer or laptop for the upcoming academic year.

Processor: i3
RAM: 4GB
Storage: 256GB SSD
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Professional or Education x64 SP1
Internet Browser: Internet Explorer 11 or Google Chrome (newest version) or Firefox (newest version)
Network Adapter: 802.11ac 2.4/5 GHz wireless adapter
Camera: Webcam/built-in camera
Internet connection

Questions regarding technology recommendations can be directed to the IT Service Desk  or the school office.

Early Childhood Education in the news

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New pathway opportunities for DC graduates in Ireland
ECE graduate educates and entertains
 View more News
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