Early Childhood Education / Educational Assistant

The Early Childhood Education/Educational Assistant program is designed to train adults to provide quality services for young children and their families. It is developed according to the National Guidelines for Training in Early Childhood Care and Education. The program is also designed to provide students the knowledge and skill development needed to assist the classroom teacher in inclusive educational settings with children and youth. The program combines theory and practical applications for elementary and secondary age students in the K-12 school system.

*This program is designed in such a way that students can take both components of the Early Childhood Education and Educational Assistant or each on its own.  Tuition is the same.

Placement Rate:
97%-100%

Admission Requirements

• Successful completion of High School Grade 12 or equivalent.
• Criminal Record Check with no criminal conviction of guilt
• Those applying as a mature student must be at least 28 years of age – Must provide a detailed resume outlining experience and qualifications.

CORE COURSES

Keyboarding 1045
This course is designed to assist students in mastering the alphabet and numeric keyboard, speed and accuracy, and formatting of letters and memos.

Microsoft Office Suite 1045
Instruction is offered in computer functions, terminology and structure. Current software packages such as WordPerfect for Windows and Microsoft Word are used.  Students also become familiar and comfortable with spreadsheets, databases, presentations and communications using Excel, Access, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

Career Skills 1045
Students will complete a self-assessment questionnaire to help discover what type of position and work environment is best for them.  Students will learn about the specific skills and qualifications they need to bring to any position and company and how to select the best people as references. Students will receive tips on filling out job applications and will be creating and perfecting a personal resume and cover letter.  Students will learn the best ways to evaluate a job offer and important advice for on the job success.

SPECIALTY COURSES

Communication 3045
Communication is not a collection of techniques we use on others; it is a process we engage in with them.  This course will look at differences and similarities between male and female communication; both verbal and nonverbal.  It will also provide information for effective communicating skills, both sending and receiving.

Child Development 3090
Child Development explores the question of how individuals change or remain the same over time, and what factors contribute to this continuity and change.  We begin by examining some of the early theories of child development and how these theories have changed over the past several hundred years.  The physical, cognitive, social and emotional development of children from the prenatal stage up to the age of 5 will also be explored.

Curriculum 3070
This course will provide students with the opportunity to acquire the skills, knowledge, and confidence to set up an optimum learning environment that is very practical.  There are many things to consider for children’s areas of learning: sound, lighting, color, noise, functional aspect of space, storage of equipment and types of learning involved during each phase of the day.  This course will help students become more able to incorporate all of these and many other concepts into a child’s learning environment and schedule.

Infants and Toddlers 3045
This course focuses on the growth, care and education of infants and toddlers.  The age range explored is from neonate up to the age of three.  It is suggested all who interact with young children try to get into the conscious world of the children, recognizing their levels of alertness and reading their cues.  What is most important is to acquire the skill of being with children rather than doing to children.

Preschool Play 3045
Play is primarily intrinsically motivated.  What is fun really all about?  To limit children’s play and to over-organize it is to take away children’s major means of gaining self-confidence in their preschool years.  We need to observe children as they play and build curriculum that’s appropriate for each child from what we see and hear.  Intellectual development occurs through play.

Health & Safety 3045
This course provides an important framework for looking at health promotion with childcare providers and teachers.  Students will find health information and support essential for professionals who interact with children.

School-Age Children 3045
This course offers a logical progression of experiences and suggestions for creating an optimum environment for school-age children.  Concepts that will be examined are the characteristics of school-age children and optimal learning conditions for this age group.  Students will also view ways to help them learn how to assist children in various competencies throughout different stages of childhood.  Students will also practice creating and leading activities that will add to their repertoire of ideas for school-age children.

Child Guidance 3070
This course is based on the case study approach. Each chapter opens with a case study which provides rich examples of potential behaviour problems and possible positive solutions.  This course focuses on positive and authoritative child guidance, based on principles of Developmentally Appropriate Practice, or DAPS.

Children with Exceptionalities 3090
This course provides an introduction to the education and care of children with special needs.  Children are not characterized by their exceptionalities.  Rather, an understanding of each child’s strengths, abilities, and developmental needs is used as a basis for inclusive program planning.  This course focuses on an approach to support, encourage, and respond to the developmental needs of all children.  Information is provided to enable providers to feel comfortable teaching children with special needs and to be successful integrating them into classroom programs.

Working with Families 3045
To better understand the needs of the nuclear family, this course aims to help childcare providers meet the needs of diverse families.  More and more families need help from many perspectives to remain healthy and keep stress levels low.  Roles of mothers and fathers are always changing and childcare providers need to know how to foster positive communication for all situations.  We are all responsible for children and families.

Observation and Assessment 3045
Students will learn to maintain a close relationship between observing, understanding what one observes, and improving your curriculum and environment.  Observation is one of the most important ways to obtain pertinent and critical information about children, the environment, the curriculum, and your teaching style.

Administration 3045
This course explores the role of government in childcare.  A further examination will lead the student to view the role of the director and the owner in relation to running the childcare business, how to be a leader, how to create goals and promote professionalism.

Professional Development 3045
This course will provide students with the opportunity to acquire the skills, knowledge, and confidence to determine the proper behavior that should be practiced when dealing with difficult situations.  Student’s main responsibility is for the care and reasonable guidance for all children.  Students will reflect upon and review various roles and responsibilities of their position to better understand their best choice of outcomes in possible problematic areas.  Review of updated protocols, rules, regulations and standards available for early childhood education line of work.  Having occupational standards in the work place is the norm and students will review, reflect, and discuss those ideas.

Autism Intervention 3090
The number of cases of children with autism is increasing worldwide.  Autism is recognized as one of the most common neurological disorders affecting Canadian children and is one of the most common developmental disabilities.  In this course you will gain an understanding of what autism is and the challenges and difficulties that are faced by a child with ASD.  We will focus on teaching children with ASD in the areas of communication, social skills, self-monitoring, and also how to deal with challenging behaviours.

Adolescent Development 3045
This course will help students understand the bases of changes an adolescent will go through.  Adolescents need to be appreciated for the diversity of themselves, their families, communities, and cultures that all work together to help make them who they are.

Early Childhood Education 3045
This project encompasses many concepts covered throughout the entire program.  Students will reflect on practices learned, and during the completion of this project will focus their thoughts on ideas presented in class, learned during discussions, and researched for study purposes.  This final assignment will allow students to bring all learned areas together in a complete work to finish their program.

On The Job Training
As part of the Early Childhood Education program, students participate in a 5-week On-The-Job Training program divided into one, three-week term and one, two-week term.  As part of the Educational Assistant program, students are offered fifteen days of on-the-job training.

CPR & First Aid Training