Early Childhood Education/Child and Youth Care
www.ufv.ca/ece

Early Childhood Education certificate

UFV offers a certificate program at both the Abbotsford and Chilliwack campuses leading to registration in British Columbia as early childhood educators.

The 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
• Speech & Language Assistant diploma (not currently available)
• Special Needs specialty
• Infancy specialty

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 meet the prerequisites for CMNS 155 or ENGL 105.

4. Satisfactory completion of interview or questionnaire.

Students who do not meet these requirements might consider the Child and Youth Care Studies program path.

When to apply

Applications are accepted on a continuous basis throughout the year. Qualified applicants are considered for the next intake in which there is space. See Continuous application process for more information.

How to apply

1. Submit the application fee along with your UFV application for admission form to the Admissions and Records (A&R) office. Application forms are available form any A&R or Student Services office. 

Additional documents required for a complete application:
• ECE additional application form.
• CPT or LPI score, or proof of registration for a CPT sitting, or an official transcript showing completion of course alternatives. To be considered official, transcripts must be sent directly to UFV from the originating institution; see the Transfer Credit section for details.

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:

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:

Basis for admission decision

Applicants who meet the entrance requirements will be admitted in order of their application date. This date is set when an application, all required documentation, and the application fee have been submitted.

Dates and locations

In Abbotsford (full time, daytime, 3 semesters)

Semester 1 — January to April 2010
Semester 2 — September to December 2010
Semester 3 — January to April 2011

In Chilliwack (part time, evenings, 5 semesters)

Semester 1 — September to December 2010
Semester 2 — January to April 2011
Semester 3 — May to July 2011
Semester 4 — September to December 2011
Semester 5 — January to April 2012

Note: If you wish to begin taking courses at UFV 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 Child and Youth Care Studies student.

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

See the Fees and Other Costs section. Books and additional supplies are about $100 per course.

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. UFV takes no responsibility for students’ transportation to field sites.

Students are encouraged to contact the Financial Aid and Awards office for information on loans, bursaries and work-study options.

Program outline

Semester I

Note: CMNS 155 and 251 are the recommended series of courses.

Semester II

Note: Students are required to complete all Semester I courses before taking Semester II courses.

Semester III

Note 1: CMNS 155 and 251 are the recommended series of courses.

Note 2: Students are required to complete all Semester II courses before taking Semester III courses.

Course listings

For complete details on courses see the course descriptions section.