About Early Childhood Care & Education Certificate in North Island College

The Early Childhood Care & Education certificate can be completed full time in 10 months or on a flexible, part-time basis.

Full-time option:

During the first term, you are introduced to the fundamental principles of child development, health, safety and nutrition for the caregiver and the child, as well as positive child guidance. You will also have opportunities to plan early childhood play-based activities in the areas of art and literacy.

The second term builds on the content from Term 1, developing further into studies of child guidance and the foundations of professional practice. You will explore responsive learning environments and different curriculum models, including emergent and project-based curriculum.

In addition to scheduled classes, you will participate in a variety of practicum experiences. This allows you to explore different models of child care and different early learning environments. You will begin your practicum experiences with a focus on observation and will advance to implementing curriculum and working directly with children.

In the third term, you will participate in a field placement four days a week, working with a mentor while planning and implementing curriculum. Some classroom work is also required, such as participation in seminars and attendance in the Child, Family, and Community course.

Part-time options

A flexible approach of study allows you to create the schedule that works with your lifestyle. A range of part-time options from a single course to multiple years of study are available and should be discussed with the department chair or instructor on an individual basis.

Program graduates receive NIC's Early Childhood Care and Education certificate, which fulfills the provincial ECE curriculum requirements for certification and employment in the early childhood education sector in BC. Requirements for your BC Early Childhood Educator certification (including 500-hours of work experience) are posted on the BC Early Learning website.

Career Opportunities

Early Childhood Care and Education Certificate
Employment opportunities in the field will increase with further training and work experience. The Early Childhood Care & Education certificate prepares you to work with young children of varying abilities from 30 months to five years, in a variety of early learning settings. Program completion is the first step toward your BC Early Childhood Educator certification. This program also provides opportunities for you to work with children and their families in other related fields.

Qualify as an Early Childhood Educator Assistant
Assistant certification enables you to care for children under the supervision of a fully certified early childhood educator. To qualify for ECE Assistant certification, you must complete at least one for-credit post-secondary course in an approved ECE training program in one of the following areas:

• child development (ECC-104),
• child guidance (ECC-114), or
• health, safety and nutrition (ECC-168)

Graduates of the Early Childhood Care & Education certificate or Educator Assistant course(s) applying for their BC Early Childhood Educator certification should forward a copy of their official college transcript, along with their application, to:

Early Childhood Education Registry
Ministry of Children and Family Development
PO Box 9961 STN PROV GOVT
Victoria BC V8W 9R4

Toll-free: 1-888-338-6622

In Greater Victoria: (250) 356-6501

Email: eceregistry@gov.bc.ca

Web: www.gov.bc.ca/earlychildhoodeducators

If you plan to continue your education, you may enter the NIC Early Childhood Care & Education diploma program, or you may choose to transfer your certificate credentials to a program at another post-secondary institution. Many institutions will recognize the certificate program for block transfer credit. The opportunity to continue into a degree program in child and youth care is also available. You should contact an educational advisor at your university of choice for information regarding admission and transfer credit.

Academic qualification equivalents

• Class 12 passed students from a recognized board including CBSE, CISCE or a state board
• All India Senior School Certificate or Higher Secondary Certificate/Standard 12 or Indian School Certificate (Year 12) as recognized qualifications

English language requirements (one of the below):

• IELTS: Academic IELTS overall score of 6.0 (no band lower than 5.5).
• TOEFL iBT: 80 overall with no subsection less than 19.
• PTE:  Academic 54 overall with no component less than 46.

North Island College Highlights

North Island College Cost of Attendance

Students can save over 10,000 CAD by taking admission for the first year in NIC and then transferring to another university. The fees for international students differ from that of domestic students, the breakdown of the estimated cost of fees is given below.