Location
Start Dates
- September 01, 2021
Duration
4Terms
Program Delivery
- In Class
- Blended
- Real-time Online
- Off-Campus
Tuition & Fees
Domestic: CAD
$9,117
International: CAD
$27,150
Estimated Book Costs:
CAD
$1,400
Applicants to the Airdrie campus must live outside Calgary in the Bow Valley College regional service area.
Start Dates
- September 01, 2021
Duration
4Terms
Program Delivery
- In Class
- Blended
- Real-time Online
- Off-Campus
Tuition & Fees
Domestic: CAD
$9,117
International: CAD
$27,150
Estimated Book Costs:
CAD
$1,400
Applicants to the Cochrane campus must live outside Calgary in the Bow Valley College regional service area.
Start Dates
- September 01, 2021
Duration
4Terms
Program Delivery
- In Class
- Blended
- Real-time Online
- Off-Campus
Tuition & Fees
Domestic: CAD
$9,117
International: CAD
$27,150
Estimated Book Costs:
CAD
$1,400
Applicants to the Okotoks campus must live outside Calgary in the Bow Valley College regional service area.
Start Dates
- September 01, 2021
- January 10, 2022
- May 05, 2022
- September 01, 2022
Duration
4Terms
Program Delivery
- In Class
- Blended
- Real-time Online
- Off-Campus
Tuition & Fees
Domestic: CAD
$9,117
International: CAD
$27,150
Estimated Book Costs:
CAD
$1,400
We are no longer accepting applications for international learners for the Fall 2021 intake.
We are no longer accepting applications for the September 2021 and January 2022 Online intake.
The May 2021 intake is limited to graduates of a recognized Early Childhood Education and Development Certificate Program and requires completion of a paper application to proceed.
Program Description
You can make a difference in the lives of children, families, and communities. The 16-month (full-time) Early Childhood Education and Development (ECED) Diploma program (formerly referred to as the Early Learning and Child Care Diploma) prepares you to provide quality child care in a wide variety of settings and plan emergent play experiences for the children in your care. You will gain knowledge in child development, family dynamics, play, and program planning that will equip you to support the healthy development of children through child-centered learning experiences.
This program combines theory and practice and graduates are eligible for Level 3 Early Childhood Educator (formerly Child Development Supervisor) certification from Alberta Human Services.
Flexible delivery options
ECED diploma program is offered full-time or part-time with a variety of delivery options including traditional classroom and online learning. There are daytime and evening classes scheduled throughout the week. The practicum, however, must be completed physically onsite at a licensed childcare program in Alberta.
Regional campuses
Learners living outside of Calgary but within the Bow Valley College regional service area can take the program starting in Fall (September) through Regional campuses. Contact Regional or view our locations. Program delivery is blended which includes a combination of online and in-person learning. A full course load is 5 courses per term - students may choose to take fewer courses each term and extend the length of their program.
Innovative learning lab and practicum project
The Early Childhood Education and Development 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 as students have an opportunity to engage with children in the lab space.
Outdoor Practicum project
The ECED program is a proud member of the outdoor research project sponsored by the Lawson Foundation. Our ECED instructor, Linda O’Donoghue, is currently working with a team of researchers, including the project lead Dr. Beverlie Dietze from Okanagan College and faculty members from New Brunswick Community College and Saskatchewan Polytechnic College, to conduct research on outdoor pedagogy in early childhood education. Our ELCC2998 is the first outdoor practicum in the province, and learners will have the opportunity to participate in the outdoor project research alongside with their instructors.
International practicum
You can put your knowledge into practice in an overseas community working with community schools and agencies. In the past, learners have gone to rural Uganda, Jamaica, and Guyana.
Award-winning curriculum
- Program Excellence Award – Association of Canadian Community Colleges, 2010
- Innovation of the Year – League for Innovation in the Community College, 2009
Scholarship for high school students
Alberta Children and Youth Services provides a $2,500 post-secondary scholarship to successful Career and Technologies Studies learners.
International Learner Applicants
International Education
North Campus – Third Floor
international@bowvalleycollege.ca
403-410-3476
Domestic Applicants
Welcome Centre
South Campus – Main Floor
info@bowvalleycollege.ca
403-410-1402
Regional Applicants
Airdrie Campus
bvcairdrie@bowvalleycollege.ca
403-355-1910
Cochrane Campus
bvccochrane@bowvalleycollege.ca
403-851-0463
Okotoks Campus
bvcokotoks@bowvalleycollege.ca
403-476-2233
Admission Requirements
Academic requirements
- Credit in either English 30-1 or 65% in English 30-2 or equivalent
Or
- Successful completion of the General Educational Development test (GED) test, that consists of five tests, with a minimum score in the following sections:
- Writing Skills: 520 minimum standard score
- Interpreting Literature and Art: 520 minimum standard score
Or
- Satisfactory results on the Bow Valley College Admissions Test
Pre-practicum requirement
A current Police Information Check (PIC) with a Vulnerable Sector Search (VSS) must be submitted prior to practicum placements. The existence of a criminal record may postpone or prevent clinical, practicum, or field work placements and, subsequently, successful completion of the program.
English language proficiency requirements
See English language proficiency requirements for details.
Transferability
Transfer opportunities are available to a variety of institutions. Transfer credits are reviewed and accepted on an individual basis by the institution to which you apply. Here are the most current transfer agreements:
- Athabasca University: Bachelor of Professional Arts – Human Services
- MacEwan University: Bachelor of Early Childhood and Curriculum Studies
- University of Alberta: Bachelor of Elementary Education
- University of Calgary: Bachelor of Community Rehabilitation
International Learner Applicants
International Education
North Campus – Third Floor
international@bowvalleycollege.ca
403-410-3476
Domestic Applicants
Welcome Centre
South Campus – Main Floor
info@bowvalleycollege.ca
403-410-1402
Regional Applicants
Airdrie Campus
bvcairdrie@bowvalleycollege.ca
403-355-1910
Cochrane Campus
bvccochrane@bowvalleycollege.ca
403-851-0463
Okotoks Campus
bvcokotoks@bowvalleycollege.ca
403-476-2233
Term 1
Required CoursesCredit
This survey course focuses on understanding the goals and essential components for the development of successful early childhood programs. Through the study of the role of early childhood professionals, students will gain insight into their own philosophy of early childhood education.
Course Delivery
This introductory course addresses the cognitive and physical development of the child from conception to twelve years of age. Learners evaluate theories and principles informing child development from a world view, including multicultural and indigenous perspectives. Learners also address the application of evidence-based practice in the area of outdoor play as it relates to child development.
Course Delivery
ELCC1998 - Introduction to Emerging Practices in Early Childhood Education and Development Credits 6
This introductory practicum provides learners with the opportunity to develop a foundation in play-based skills and knowledge. Seminar topics can include health and safety, intercultural awareness, emergent curriculum, and prevention of child maltreatment. From interviews with current educators to touring childcare programs, learners establish understanding of their image of the child and of the educator in practice. This practicum is a combination of professional observation, practical experience in the lab classroom at the College, and integrated class seminars.
Course Delivery
This first-year composition course introduces learners to academic writing and critical thinking. They read and analyze sociopolitical, cultural, and gender issues in texts with an emphasis on experiences of people whose voices were historically silenced, particularly those of Indigenous communities in Canada. Learners develop strategies to communicate their own ideas and integrate them with those of others by quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing source material. Learners present their written assignments professionally according to APA formatting guidelines.
Course Delivery
This course is an introduction to Indigenous cultural experience and perspectives. Learners analyze the foundations for stereotypes, bias and false narratives that impact Indigenous ways of being in Canada. Learners consider how legal and social policy impacts Indigenous identity. Euro-Canadian perspectives and beliefs toward Indigenous people are discussed. Learners explore the experience and Indigenous worldview in the Canadian context.
Course Delivery
Term 2
Required CoursesCredit
Through practice and reflection, learners nuture personal and professional relationships using interpersonal communication skills. With a focus on other-oriented communication, learners demonstrate how inequities and power dynamics influence relationships.
Course Delivery
This introductory course explores the role of play in children's development and how play is integral to a child's developmental needs. Students explore the relationship of play to the different developmental stages, as well as the role of the environment and the early childhood educator in enhancing children's play. This course focuses on the planning of inclusive and appropriate play environments including indoor and outdoor play experiences. Learners explore a variety of play situations and materials used in
childcare settings.
Course Delivery
Through the lens of cultural context, this course provides an understanding of Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory and its relationship to social-emotional wellbeing. Learners inform and modify curriculum experiences through observation, documentation, and reflection to model learning environments that support the social-emotional development of children. Support strategies to foster social-emotional development and respectful cooperative relationships with children, family and community are developed.
Course Delivery
This second semester practicum course prepares learners to apply play-based skills and early childhood development theories to their practice under the guidance of a practicum instructor and a designated mentor. Adhering to early childhood research and the guidelines from Alberta's Early Learning Framework, learners critically consider aspects of their role as an early childhood educator, a co-learner, a co-researcher, and a co-imaginer, including observing, documenting, planning learning experiences, working with families, building relationships, maintaining health, safety, and nutrition standards.
This practicum provides a combination of practical experience in an early childhood setting and weekly integrated seminars. Learners must complete 200 practicum hours and 45 hours of seminar in addition to practicum experiential learning activities to meet the requirement for Provincial certification purposes.
Course Delivery
In this course, learners explore how families are integrated within larger social systems; how patterns of social power and inequality shape Canadian families; as well as how and why the family is critical to the socialization process. The course culminates in the critical assessment of issues affecting families in Canada.
Course Delivery
Term 3
Required CoursesCredit
This course focuses on the development of creative activities and engaging program for children in child care. In this course, learners examine ideas for the development of two- and three-dimensional activities, creative language experiences, science and mathematics, music and movement, indoor and outdoor play, dramatic play, and media. In addition, learners also explore the impact of creativity on the development of the child and how caregiver interactions with the child contribute to the child's overall sense of self.
Prerequisite: ELCC1999
Course Delivery
This course focuses on language, literacy, and communication in the early years. Learners design literacy-rich environments following an emergent curriculum approach. Learners use quality literature and scaffolding strategies to stimulate interest and enhance literacy development. The course includes the connection between language and culture. In addition, the course explores the importance of engaging children, family, and community partnerships in support of literacy development.
Prerequisite: ELCC1999
Course Delivery
This advanced course focuses on observation, documentation, and assessment in early childhood education. Through the lens of early childhood development and play, the learner examines methods of observation, documentation, and practices in authentic assessment. In order to provide effective learning environments that support child development, the learner engages in reflective practice while analyzing their observations. Curriculum experiences are designed based on the learner's findings and support strategies are proposed to stimulate learning and positive relationships.
Prerequisite: ELCC1999
Current Police Information Check including Vulnerable Sector Search (PIC/VSS)
Course Delivery
This course focuses on leadership and collaborative skills for early childhood professionals who have direct responsibility for the care and education of young children. Learners examine the attributes of leaders, personal leadership strengths, professional identity and working in teams. Benefits and challenges in the relationship between families and educators are examined and strategies for effective partnerships are also explored. Additionally, the family in the context of the community is also investigated. Respecting diverse family structures, child rearing practices and an understanding of effective teamwork is critical to this course.
Prerequisites: ELCC1999
Course Delivery
Learners apply outdoor pedagogical theories to practice, under the supervision of the college practicum supervisor and a designated workplace mentor. The theories include land-based learning through the lens of Indigenous perspectives. This practicum focuses on observation and documentation, reflective practice, and emergent curriculum within the context of outdoor pedagogy. In addition, learners reflect on their observation and create documentation, which makes learning visible for children, educators, families, and communities. The practicum is a combination of practical experience at a community work site and integrated class seminars.
Course Delivery
Term 4
Required CoursesCredit
This course addresses the goals and essential components of programs for school aged children. In addition, the course also explores the historical and social influences of such programs in Canada. Learners examine the role of school age caregivers while evaluating their own personal qualities and philosophy for working in early learning and child care.
Course Delivery
This course addresses the development of appropriate strategies and skills to provide quality care for infants and toddlers. The course examines the central role of the caregiver, daily routines, and the importance of effective communication. Focus falls on infant and toddler development and emerging practice.
Pre-requisite: ELCC1999
Current Police Information Check including Vulnerable Sector Search (PIC/VSS)
Course Delivery
This advanced course focuses on the needs of children whose development is atypical. Learners explore a range of exceptionalities and evaluate strategies to support children with exceptionalities. In addition, learners examine the values and philosophy of inclusion in early childhood education and development; the strategies that promote, enhance, and evaluate inclusive child care settings; and strategies to accommodate children within those settings.
Prerequisite: ELCC1999
Course Delivery
Learners examine the impact of current issues in early childhood education practice. They analyze evidence-based research related to those issues, evaluate the influence of early childhood legislation and regulatory bodies, and design strategies to advocate for the rights of children, families, and quality care.
Course Delivery
In the final practicum placement, learners have the opportunity to further develop their reflective teaching practices. This practicum focuses on reflective learning and topics include the mighty learner and connecting with the child, family and community. Learners have the opportunity to research a topic of their choice pertaining to keeping their passion alive for early childhood education. This capstone course demonstrates their understanding of the program objectives.
Learners work 14-16 hours each week for 15 weeks for their practicum hours and attend the 3 hour integration seminar each week.
Prerequisite: ELCC2998
Current Police Information Check including Vulnerable Sector Search (PIC/VSS)
Be in good academic standing with a minimum 2.0 GPA
Course Delivery
Optional International PracticumCredit
Prerequisite: Departmental approval
Course Delivery
Program FAQs
If you have prior work experience or have taken courses comparable to those required under this program at another institution, you may be eligible for Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) or transfer credit. For more information, please contact our Registrar's Office at (403) 410-1400.
All requests must be submitted prior to the start of the program.
The transferability options are listed on the Early Childhood Education and Development Certificate and Diploma pages from the School of Community Studies programs and courses pages.
The certificate learners get a maximum of three years to complete the program and the diploma learners get five years. The most courses that a learner can take per semester are five—four theory courses and one practicum course. If a learner takes five courses per semester, the learner can complete the certificate program in two semesters and the diploma in four. To ensure your success in the program, please adjust the course load to maintain a good balance between your school and personal life.
Planning your course schedule according to availability and prerequisites requires some consideration.
Plan the sequence of your courses with this 2018/19 schedule.
Once you are a registered student in a program one of the Academic Advisors in the Office of the Registrar can also assist you with planning.
If you are taking an online course, you should make sure your computer has the following applications:
- Reliable internet access – DSL or cable connections are highly recommended.
- We recommend Windows 7 or 10 (preferred) or Mac OS software; Microsoft Office 2013 (minimum); Adobe Acrobat Reader; and a media player such as Adobe Flash Player, QuickTime, or Windows Media Player.
- Some courses might require additional software or applications packages. You will be given this information before starting the course.
- We recommend Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Safari as browsers. D2L does not work well with Internet Explorer.
No, unfortunately we cannot allow learners to do practicum outside of Alberta or outside of Canada. Although you may be able to sign up for our online practicum seminars, the onsite practicum must be done in a licensed childcare program in Alberta.
Yes, we recommend that learners should take courses according to the order laid out in the semester course schedule. Completing courses according to the recommended order will eliminate potential course scheduling conflicts. For example, you may run into scheduling conflict if you intend to take ELCC1301 (Semester 1) and ELCC2998 (Semester 3) at the same time. The scheduling conflict can be a serious problem especially if you plan to finish the program in your last semester.
No. The ECED program contains theory courses and practicum courses. The theory courses can be completed fully online. In contrast, a practicum course consists of practicum work and weekly practicum seminars. While the practicum seminars can be taken either in person or real time online, the practicum work must be completed onsite physically at a licensed childcare program in Alberta. There are no virtual or online options for the practicum work.
Yes. An “online” course does not mean that learners can submit an assignment anytime they would like. When a learner signs up an online course, whether it is anytime online or real time online, a course schedule is available in the course offering information in D2L. Please follow the course schedule carefully because it contains information about assignment due dates and scheduled activities.
