The Early Childhood Education program at Centennial College is committed to ensuring you'll be prepared to become a leader in the profession. The program has consistently received KPI distinction awards for Employer Satisfaction and graduates are respected as professionals.
As a student in the Early Childhood Education program, you'll learn to provide high standards of care to children and their families. This highly regarded offering will teach you to take responsibility for observing the needs of individual and groups of children, and create well-planned, stimulating and responsive programs. You'll come to understand the needs of infants, toddlers, pre-school and school-aged children.
Rich classroom experiences will offer you a range of opportunities to understand the content as professors employ a variety of strategies so you'll be able to practice and apply what you learn. Supporting this program are Centennial College’s two state-of-the-art early childhood education centres. Used as lab schools, these centres, located in East York and at Progress Campus, will allow you observe and/or practice in a high-quality childcare setting.
If you're energetic, fun loving, dedicated to your learning, and enjoy working with children and adults, this is the program for you!
Notes:
This program is taught using a combination of modalities. Courses may be delivered face-to-face, online or in a blended/hybrid combination of both online and traditional classroom teaching.
This Early Childhood Education program is also offered at Progress Campus with fall and winter intakes. Winter intake students complete four consecutive semesters without a summer break. Also facilitated at Progress is a part-time version of the offering.
"Centennial First, Alumni Forever". Graduates of the Early Childhood Education program will become life time members of the Centennial College Alumni Association (//ccaa.life/).
Companies Offering Jobs
As a graduate from the Early Childhood Education program you will be qualified to:
Work with children and families in childcare centres;
Work in full-day learning classrooms within the Boards of Education;
Work with children and families in drop-in centres, shelters and community service programs;
Opening your own home childcare in accordance with legislative requirements.
Program Highlights
You'll experience practical experiential learning through three field placements in the community, working directly with infants or toddlers, pre-school and school-aged children.
Qualified and experienced supervisors will support you during the field placement to ensure your learning is optimized.
During the third or fourth semesters, opportunities will be available to work in full-day kindergarten environments.
In semesters 3 and 4, a block placement will be incorporated to maximize your ability to solidify skills.
This program is committed to respond to and reflect current trends and directions in the field and profession.
Highly skilled faculty will create stimulating learning opportunities in the classroom that will address a range of learning styles.
Indigenous Studies: First Peoples in Canada Certificate
You'll develop a portfolio documenting your engagement with the College’s signature Global Citizenship and Equity competencies. For more information, please visit //www.centennialcollege.ca/citizenshipandequity.
The Leadership Passport
The Leadership Passport will provide you with opportunities to practice and develop leadership skills through predetermined criteria and to earn a special designation on your Early Childhood Education diploma. For more, please visit: //www.centennialcollege.ca/LeadershipPassport
Graduates have demonstrated the ability to:
Plan, implement and evaluate curriculum founded on a thorough understanding of child development that's responsive to the developmental needs of children;
Utilize a variety of observation techniques to enhance work with children, families and co-workers;
Maintain responsive relationships with children;
Develop and maintain effective communication with children, families, co-workers, employers and individuals/agencies;
Apply relevant legislation to early childhood education programs;
Apply personal philosophy of early childhood education;
Provide a rationale for practice;
Demonstrate professionalism in all areas of performance;
Advocate for quality childcare.
Articulation Agreements
Successful graduates of this Early Childhood Education program have the opportunity to apply their credits towards further study at the degree level and complementary streams. Listed below are the pathways from partnering institutions that are available for this program.
Please note that each pathway has a specific minimum grade requirement in order to qualify for transferring credits, which are assessed by the partner institution.
Please see the Articulation Agreement section. Please note that each pathway has a specific minimum grade requirement in order to qualify for transferring credits, which are assessed by the partner institution.
Professional Associations
All graduates of the Early Childhood Education program are required to apply to practice in the province of Ontario with their professional regulatory body, the College of Early Childhood Educators. (//www.college-ece.ca/en/About-Us/Purpose-and-Mandate)
The College of Early Childhood Educators (College) regulates and governs Ontario's Registered Early Childhood Educators (RECEs) in the public interest.
The College was established under the Early Childhood Educators Act, 2007 (ECE Act), and came into existence in February 2009.
With more than 53,000 members in good standing, the College is one of the largest professional self-regulatory bodies in Ontario and is the only professional self-regulatory body for early childhood education in Canada.
The College regulates the profession of early childhood education by establishing and enforcing:
Registration requirements;
Ethical and professional standards for RECEs;
Requirements for continuous professional learning; and
Complaints and discipline process for professional misconduct, incompetence and incapacity.
AECEO
The Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario (AECEO) is your professional association. Membership supports a strong, united voice for ECEs in our province. (//www.aeceo.ca/)
OCBCC
The OCBCC is Ontario’s central advocacy group for a universal early childhood education and care system. Formed in 1981, the OCBCC is a member organization comprising local child care centres, national and provincial groups and individuals from all across Ontario (//www.childcareontario.org/)
Placement Partners
The Early Childhood Education Program has a number of Placement Partnerships which include:
After admission, prior to beginning each Field Placement, students are required to:
Obtain a clear police check with vulnerable sector
Provide valid First Aid and CPR certificates before the beginning of the second semester
Provide a clear medical report including a TB test
Safety Requirements
See the Important Link section "Student at a Glance" (//p.widencdn.net/lvtfct/ECE_program_Flyer) for an understanding of the Safety Requirements for a student in the Early Childhood Education program.
Semester Requirements
A C Grade is required in all core courses as well as COMM-160/161.
If you are applying through the Second Career Strategy, please apply at the Employment Training Centre for Second Career (Progress Campus). Second Career Strategy is a funding initiative for those who have been laid-off and are in need of training. For more information go to Second Career Strategy.
If you have previously attended a full-time program at Centennial College, you may be eligible for a Program Transfer. Visit Enrolment Services at any Campus for information.
All other applicants must apply online at Ontariocolleges.ca. A non-refundable application fee of $95 must accompany applications. The fee is payable online, by telephone, online banking, by mail, or in-person to Ontariocolleges.ca. For more information go to Ontariocolleges.ca Application Fees.
Current Ontario high school students and graduates from Ontario high schools: Notify your guidance counsellor that you have applied to college and your school will forward transcripts to Centennial College via Ontariocolleges.ca.
Graduates of college/university, or high school outside Ontario but within Canada: You are responsible for requesting that your educational institute sends any required documents and transcripts to Ontariocolleges.ca.
International Students
If you are submitting transcripts to meet admission requirements, you must have the transcripts assessed by an independent credential assessment agency such as World Education Services (WES) or International Credential Assessment Service (ICAS).
Offers of Admission are sent by mail to eligible applicants. When you receive your offer, you must login to your account at Ontariocolleges.ca and confirm before the Deadline to Confirm noted in your offer letter.
You may confirm only one college and one program offer at a time.
You must confirm your offer by the Deadline to Confirm noted in your Offer of Admission letter or your seat may be given to another applicant.
When you confirm your Offer of Admission at Centennial College you are given access to your personal myCentennial account where you can check your email, grades, register for courses, pay tuition fees, and see your class timetable.
4. Pay Fees
Centennial fees statements are sent by email to your personal email account and to your myCentennial email account. Fees statements are not mailed.
You must make a minimum payment by the Fees Deadline noted in your Fees Statement or your seat may be given to another applicant.
Fall registration begins mid-July January registration begins mid-December May registration begins mid-April
Your web-registration will not open if:
You have not submitted your minimum fee payment by the deadline
You received a Conditional Offer of Admission and you have not met the conditions of your offer.
Once you have paid your fees or have made appropriate arrangements, register for your courses online through myCentennial.