Early Childhood Education certificate
UCFV offers a three-semester program at both the Abbotsford and
Chilliwack campuses leading to registration in British Columbia as early
childhood educators.
The three-semester certificate
program includes basic courses in communications, interpersonal relations, child
growth and development, working with children, and the early childhood
curriculum. Students in the ECE certificate program must maintain semester and
cumulative grade point average of at least 2.33 (C+) in order to be awarded the
certificate. Students who do not maintain the required cumulative GPA will be
placed on Academic Warning for one semester. If they do not attain the required
GPA they will need to meet with the program head before continuance in the
program, and they may need to withdraw from the program.
Before taking practicum you will be
required to obtain a TB clearance (as required as per Community Care Facilities
Licensing Legislation), as well as a Rubella clearance and criminal record
check.
Full-time students will have priority for practicum placement.
After completing this program,
graduates can be licensed as early childhood educators by the Provincial
Licensing Board, with an additional 500 hours of supervised work and a first aid
certificate.
Following completion of the
certificate, students who wish to continue their studies can ladder into the
following diploma programs:
• Early Childhood Education diploma
• Special Needs specialty
• Infancy specialty
• Speech & Language Assistant
diploma
Entrance requirements
1. Applicants must be 19 years of age or older before being
accepted into the program.
2. Ability to supply own transportation to field sites.
3. You must have a CPT (Composition Placement Test) score of 48 or better
(or C or better in
ENGL 099 or higher, CMNS 099, or an approved university transferable
English/Communications course with a C or better). An LPI essay score of 30
(level 5) is considered equivalent to a CPT score of 48.
4. Satisfactory completion of interview or questionnaire.
How to apply
1. Submit the application fee along with your UCFV application for
admission form to the Admissions and Records (A&R) office. Application forms are
available form any A&R or Student Services office. See
the
Admissions Guide for a
complete list of application dates and general admission information.
Additional documents required for a complete application:
• ECE additional application form
• CPT score or proof of
registration for a CPT sitting, or an official transcript showing completion of
ENGL 099
with a minimum of C or higher.
2. After your complete application is received and reviewed, the
Admissions and Records office will notify you of an orientation session that you
must attend. If you do not attend or make arrangements with the program head,
you will not be eligible for admission to the program.
After the orientation session, you
will be required to obtain a TB (as required per Community Care Facilities
Licencing Legislation) and Rubella clearance and criminal record check and be
given a questionnaire to return or be assigned to an interview time.
3. Based on your CPT score and questionnaire, you will be interviewed and
evaluated according to the following scale:
• Physical
health and readiness to work with children
35
• Prior
relevant experience
25
•
Interview/questionnaire
40
Total
100
4. After the orientation session you will be required to:
• Submit a
letter of intent
• Complete
the questionnaire
• Submit
CPT score or English mark
You will also be assigned an
interview time.
5. Approximately eight weeks after the orientation you will be advised of
the admission decision.
Following admission to the program you will be provided with registration
information.
If you do not register for courses and pay course deposits, your place will be
given to the next person on the program waiting list and you must reapply to the
program.
6. Admission decisions are made in October to November for a January
start, and April to May
for a September start. Start dates are as follows:
Dates and locations
In Abbotsford:
Semester 1 — January 2005 to April 2005
Semester 2 — September 2005 to December 2005
Semester 3 — January 2006 to April 2006
In Chilliwack:
Semester 1 — September 2005 to December 2005
Semester 2 — January 2006 to April 2006
Semester 3 — September 2006 to December 2006
Note: If you wish to begin taking courses at UCFV while waiting for a
space to become available in this program, it will be necessary to submit a
separate application to take courses as a general studies student (see
the
Admissions Guide
chart for specific dates).
Regulations concerning practica
The program head reserves the right to approve any agency or institution that
provides placements for student practica, and to change any placement assigned
to a student. Students are placed in practicum setting in accordance with their
professional background and current learning needs. You have the right to be
informed in writing of the reasons for any change in placement. You may be
required to withdraw from a practicum course if none of the available practicum
agencies will accept you.
A criminal record check is required
prior to practicum placement.
Students are required to provide
their own transportation to and from practicum sites.
Full-time students will be given
priority.
Part-time studies
Part-time students are invited to contact the ECE program head to discuss their
program plan before enrolment in courses.
Part-time students may complete
CMNS 155 or ENGL 105, and HSER 120 before applying to or entering the ECE
program or take these two courses in the first semester.
Fees and additional costs
Fees stated are in effect for 2004/05 and are subject to change for 2005/06.
The fees for a full-time student (18 credits) are about $2,200 per semester.
Books and additional supplies are about $100 per course. See the
Fees and Other Costs
section for more information.
You should be prepared to spend
approximately $800 per semester on books and supplies. You must also have your
own means of transportation. Up to half of your program time will be spent
working in early childhood centres in the community. UCFV takes no
responsibility for students’ transportation to field sites.
Students are encouraged to contact the Financial Aid office for information on
loans, bursaries and work-study options.
Program outline
Semester I
Course | Title | Credits |
ECE 100 | Human Development | 3 |
ECE 101 | Intro. to Early Childhood Education | 3 |
ECE 102 | Intro. to Early Childhood Guidance | 3 |
ECE 103 | Intro. to Observing and Recording Behaviour of Young Children | 3 |
HSER 120 | Intro. to Interpersonal Communications | 3 |
One of: | ||
CMNS 155 | Communications for Human Services | 3 |
or | ||
ENGL 105 | The Reading & Writing of Prose1 | 3 |
Total | 18 |
Semester II
Course | Title | Credits |
ECE 120 | Human Development II | 3 |
ECE 122 | Introductory Practicum | 6 |
ECE 123 | Art in ECE | 1.5 |
ECE 124 | Music in ECE | 3 |
ECE 125 | Early Childhood Programs | 3 |
Total | 16.5 |
Note: Students are required to complete all Semester I courses before
taking Semester II courses.
Semester III
Course | Title | Credits |
ECE 130 | Presenting Literature to Children | 3 |
ECE 132 | Nutrition, Health and Safety | 3 |
ECE 133 | Advanced Practicum | 6 |
ECE 135 | The Process of Curriculum Development | 3 |
One of: | ||
CMNS 250 | Report Writing for Business, Information Technologies, Social and Human Services | 3 |
or | ||
ENGL | 120–170 (one of)1 | 3 |
Total | 18 |
Note: Students are required to complete all Semester II courses before
taking Semester III courses.
Note1: CMNS 155 and 250 are the recommended series of courses.
Course listings
For complete details on courses see
Course descriptions.
Early Childhood
Education diploma
After completing the certificate program you can continue your education and
take advanced courses in more specialized areas. Some of the diploma courses may
be taken in the evening (except practicum) giving students the option of working
in the daytime. Two program options are available for diploma students. The two
programs share a common set of core courses and each requires a different set of
specialty courses. Completion of the core courses, and one set of specialty
courses leads to registration as a special needs or infancy (under-three)
supervisor. Check the timetable or contact the program coordinator for
information about the current offerings. Accepted students may begin in
September each year.
Entrance requirements
1. Completion of ECE certificate and a provincial licence to practise
(UCFV ECE graduates exempt).
How to apply
1. Submit the application fee along with your UCFV application for
admission form to the Admissions and Records (A&R) office. Application forms are
available from any A&R or Student Services office. You can also print an
application form from our website at
www.ufv.ca/ar, or you can apply directly through the internet at
www.pas.bc.ca. See the
Admissions Guide
for a complete list of application dates and general admission information.
Additional documents required for a complete application:
• ECE certificate and a provincial
licence to practise (UCFV ECE graduates exempt)
• Official transcripts if from
another institution, showing completion of ECE certificate.
2. After your application is received you will be contacted regarding any
orientations or interviews which may be required.
Program outline
Core diploma requirements
Course | Title | Credits |
ECE 213 | Atypical Development | 3 |
ECE 223 | Administration of Childhood Centres | 3 |
ECE 224 | Working with Families | 3 |
Special Needs specialty
Course | Title | Credits |
ECE 242 | Practicum: Special Needs | 6 |
ECE 260 | Foundations of Working with Exceptional Children | 3 |
ECE 281 | Programming for Exceptional Children | 3 |
Infancy specialty
Course | Title | Credits |
ECE 243 | Practicum: Infancy | 6 |
ECE 269 | Foundations of Infant Caregiving | 3 |
ECE 282 | Programming for Infants | 3 |
Minimum number of credits needed to graduate for the diploma is 60. The 60
credits may be made up of certificate and diploma credits and approved electives
as needed.
Course listings
For complete details on courses see
Course descriptions.
Back to
Faculty of Science, Health,
and Human Services index page
Calendar home page/index
|