Early Learning and Child Care Certificate

Make a difference in the lives of children! The 8-month Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) Certificate program prepares graduates to provide quality child care in a wide variety of settings and plan developmentally appropriate activities for the children in their care. Knowledge of child development, family dynamics, play, and program planning will equip graduates to support the healthy development of children through child-centered learning experiences.

The program combines theory and practice and graduates are eligible for Child Development Worker certification from Alberta Human Services (formerly referred to as Level 2).

Innovative Learning Lab

The Early Learning and Child Care learning lab combines classroom space with interactive children’s learning centres that include an artist studio, a reading centre, a dramatic play centre, and a sensory motor centre. This innovative and engaging environment supports the transition of theory to practice.

Award-Winning Curriculum

• Program Excellence Award – Association of Canadian Community Colleges, 2010
• Innovation of the Year – League for Innovation in the Community College, 2009

International Practicum

Students can put their knowledge into practice in an overseas community. In June 2012, students participated in a program in rural Uganda supporting families headed by children who have been orphaned as a result of AIDS.

Scholarship for High School Students

Alberta Children and Youth Services provides a $2,500 post-secondary scholarship to successful Career and Technologies Studies students.

Flexible Delivery Options

ELCC programs are offered full-time or part-time with a variety of delivery options including traditional classroom, online learning, home study, audio conferencing, blended delivery, and customized workshops.

In-class learners take 3-credit courses that are 45 hours each. The online equivalent of each of these courses is three 15-hour 1-credit courses. Online learners are strongly encouraged to enroll in one 1-credit course per month rather than 3 credits at the same time.

Online courses start the first Monday of each month and learners will have 12 weeks to complete each course. The last day for registering for an online or home study course is the last Monday of the month before the course starts.

Students registered in the traditional full-time Early Learning and Child Care Certificate program are required to write the Test of Workplace Essential Skills (TOWES) assessment in semester one.

Course Descriptions and Part-Time Schedule

Three Credit Course Descriptions (Traditional)
One Credit Course Descriptions (Online)
Three Credit / One Credit Equivalency Table
Spring 2013 Part-Time Schedule

Instructor Bios

Early Learning and Child Care Instructor Bios

Professional Development Webinar and Workshop Series

Webinar and Workshop Schedule 

Courses in Program

Curriculum Subject to Change

Semester 1

Course	Credits	Hours
Child Development: An Introduction (HHC0042)	3	45
Introduction to Early Learning and Child Care (HHC0044)	3	45
Computers for Human Services Workers (COMP149)	3	45
Fundamentals of Written Communications (COMM181)	3	45
Introduction to Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Learning and Child Care Settings - Practicum and Seminar (HHC0316)	6	135+45

Semester 2

Course	Credits	Hours
Developing Through Play (HHC0046)	3	45
Literacy and Curriculum in the Early Years (HHC0058)	3	45
Guiding Young Children's Behaviour (HHC0048)	3	45
Interpersonal Relationships and Communications Skills (COMM180)	3	45
The Role of the Educator in Early Learning and Child Care Settings - Practicum and Seminar (HHC0317)	8	225+45

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Admission Requirements

Academic Requirements

• Credit in either English 30-1 or 30-2 or equivalent

OR:

• Successful completion of the General Equivalency Development test (GED) with a standard score of 520 in Language Arts: Reading and Writing

OR:

• Satisfactory results on the BVC Admissions Test

OR:

• Successful completion of nine one-credit Support Strategies Courses, listed below, followed by six credits in Early Learning and Child Care courses (listed above under Courses in Program) for a total of 15 credits:
  
  • Sentence Structure and Child Care Vocabulary
  • Verbs, Pronouns and Punctuation
  • Writing Paragraphs and Basic Essays
  • Speaking With Confidence
  • Advocating for Yourself and Others
  • Summaries, Paraphrases, Direct Quotes and Citations
  • Improving Listening, Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills
  • Identifying Biases and Building Cultural Awareness
  • The Importance of Reading Aloud

Pre-Program Requirement

• A current Police Information Check (PIC) with a Vulnerable Sector Search (VSS) must be submitted at least 2 weeks prior to the program start date to maintain a seat in the program.  The existence of a criminal record may postpone or prevent practicum placement. International and out-of-province students arriving in Alberta less than 6 months before the program start date should obtain their PICs in their home country or province, if possible.

English Language Proficiency Requirements

• See English Language Proficiency Requirements for details.

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Transferability

Graduates of this program may be accepted into:

• Bow Valley College - Early Learning and Child Care Diploma Year 2
• Grand Prairie Regional College - Early Learning and Child Care Diploma Year 2
• Lakeland College - Early Learning and Child Care Diploma Year 2
• Medicine Hat College - Early Learning and Child Care Diploma Year 2
• Mount Royal University - Early Learning and Child Care Diploma Year 2

Some transfer available from:

• Calgary Board of Education
• College of the North Atlantic
• Heritage College
• Lethbridge College
• Medicine Hat College
• Mothercraft College
• Mount Royal University
• Prairie College of Applied Arts and Technology
• Red Deer College
• St. Joseph College