Early Childhood Education Program (C100)
Toronto, Canada
DURATION
2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
May 2025
TUITION FEES
CAD 18,828 *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* International Tuition
Introduction
George Brown's Early Childhood Education Diploma program will prepare you for a rewarding career in a rapidly evolving sector. In just two years, you'll learn to work with children from six weeks to 12 years of age in a variety of early childhood education settings.
Full Description
This Early Childhood Education program is currently offering a $1,000 tuition grant in Semesters 1 and 2 to domestic students starting in May 2025, September 2025 and January 2026.*
George Brown's Early Childhood Education (C100) Diploma program will give you the knowledge and practical experience you need to support children's learning as they grow. You'll study the holistic developmental needs of infants (from six weeks), toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age children (to 12 years) and will learn how to design inclusive education and care programs and respond to the unique needs and interests of a child.
You will also engage with families and the broader community.
To solidify your learning as you go, this program alternates between in-class learning and field placement experiences. This integrated approach not only helps you develop confidence in your skills as you progress throughout the program but will ensure you are ready to work immediately upon graduation.
To begin this program in January or May 2025, apply to the 2024/25 academic year. If you want to begin your studies in either January or May 2026, apply to the May 2025/26 intake for this program.
ACCELERATED OPTION (16 consecutive months)
If you are eager to enter the field and can study without significant breaks, we offer an accelerated stream for 16 consecutive months (four continuous semesters). Visit the Early Childhood Education (Accelerated) (C160) program page for more details.
FAST-TRACK – DIRECT ENTRY (10 months)
You may qualify for the Fast-Track program with a diploma or degree in a related field. Visit the Early Childhood Education (Fast-Track) (C130) program page for more details.
*This opportunity is funded in partnership with the City of Toronto, the Region of Durham, the Region of Peel, the Province of Ontario, and the Government of Canada under the new Canada-Ontario Early Childhood Workforce Agreement, which provides one-time federal funding to support the retention and recruitment of a high-quality child care and early years workforce.
Your Field Education Options
As a student in the Early Childhood Education program, you will complete a seven-week field placement in each semester. During this time, you will have the opportunity to work with children of different age groups in a variety of settings.
Field placement provides a continuum of experience that will given you an invaluable opportunity to integrate and apply classroom theory as you develop a hands-on practice.
To support your learning outcomes and ensure you have access to facilities that model the best practices we consider essential, we operate Ontario's largest network of college-run lab school child care centres that serve over 1,000 children and their families each year. These 14 child care centres located across Toronto, will not only expose you to the kinds of environments where you will eventually work, but they also provide valuable services to the families and communities they serve.
Please note: Many field placement partners may require you to show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 (a person is considered fully vaccinated 14 days after their second dose). As such, if you are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19, you may be unable to complete your program's required field placement component in the regularly scheduled time frame.
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
This program is approved for OSAP funding, provided the applicant meets OSAP eligibility criteria.
Each year we award over $2 million dollars in scholarships, awards and bursaries to first-year students. Check out our financial aid webpages for ways to pay for college and the full list of available scholarships, awards and bursaries.
Curriculum
Required Courses
Semester 1
| Code | Course Name |
| ECE 1000 | Professional Development Workshop 1 |
| ECE 1024 | Field Practice I |
| ECE 1069 | Health, Safety and Nutrition |
| ECE 1070 | Interpersonal Communication |
| ECE 1075 | Foundations of ECE |
| ECE 1181 | Integrated Seminar I |
| ECE 2045 | Applied Curriculum |
| PSY 1075 | Infant and Child Development |
| COMM 2000 | Communicating Across Contexts** |
Semester 2
| Code | Course Name |
| ECE 1026 | Field Practice 2 |
| ECE 1069 | Health, Safety and Nutrition (continued) |
| ECE 1070 | Interpersonal Communication (continued) |
| ECE 1075 | Foundations of ECE(continued) |
| ECE 1089 | Observation, Planning and Evaluation |
| ECE 1095 | Anti Racism in Early Years Programs |
| ECE 1182 | Integrated Seminar II |
| ECE 2045 | Applied Curriculum (continued) |
| GSSC 1064 | Introduction to Sociology |
| PSY 1075 | Infant and Child Development (continued) |
Semester 3
| Code | Course Name |
| ECE 1080 | Professional Development Workshop 2 |
| ECE 1183 | Integrated Seminar III |
| ECE 2014 | Field Practice III |
| ECE 2048 | Policy, Advocacy, and Legislation |
| ECE 2049 | Inclusion in Early Childhood |
| ECE 2050 | Working with Families |
| ECE 2053 | Curriculum Theory |
| ECE 2056 | Creative Curriculum |
| ECE 2061 | Social Policy in the Early Years |
| GNED | General Education Elective |
Semester 4
| Code | Course Name |
| ECE 1080 | Professional Development Workshop 2 (continued) |
| ECE 1184 | Integrated Seminar IV |
| ECE 2017 | Field Practice IV |
| ECE 2048 | Policy, Advocacy, and Legislation (continued) |
| ECE 2049 | Inclusion in Early Childhood (continued) |
| ECE 2050 | Working with Families(continued) |
| ECE 2053 | Curriculum Theory (continued) |
| ECE 2057 | Current Issues |
| GNED | General Education Elective |
Program Outcome
- Create learning contexts to enable, build and maintain caring, responsive relationships in partnerships with children, families and communities that value and respect social, cultural and linguistic diversity, including Indigenous peoples' world views and Francophone identity.
- Co-create, facilitate and reflect upon inquiry and play-based early years and child care programs and pedagogical approaches to support children's learning, holistic development and well-being following children's capabilities, interests, ideas and experiences.
- Co-design and maintain inclusive early-learning environments to value and support equitable, accessible and meaningful learning opportunities for all children, their families and communities in a range of early years and child care settings.
- Collaborate with children, families, colleagues, agencies, and community partners to create, maintain, evaluate and promote safe and healthy early-learning environments to support independence, reasonable risk-taking and healthy development and well-being.
- Use observation strategies to identify children's strengths and challenges and to ascertain when children and families might benefit from additional support or community resources.
- Use professional communication in interactions with children, families, colleagues, employers, the regulatory body, government authorities and children's service agencies to meet legal and ethical standards of the early years sector.
- Act by relevant legislation, regulations, the College of Early Childhood Educators Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, agency policies and procedures and principles of evidence-informed practice and reflect upon their impact on one's role in early years and child care settings.
- Identify, report and document when a child is in a situation of perceived risk for, or actual neglect or abuse, in accordance with legislation, the College of Early Childhood Educators' Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, policies and procedures.
- Create and engage in partnerships with families, communities, colleagues, interdisciplinary professionals, authorities and child service agencies to advocate for quality early years and child care programs and services.
- Engage in reflective practice and continuous professional learning in accordance with principles of lifelong learning, evidence-informed practices in the early years sector and requirements of the College of Early Childhood Educators.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
Upon graduation of this Early Childhood Education program, you may find employment in:
- child care programs
- early years programs
- full-day kindergarten
- family resource programs
- pediatric playrooms
- special education settings
- integrated kindergartens
- therapeutic nursery programs
- in-home care
Industry
Successful completion of this program will make you eligible for entrance to Ontario's College of Early Childhood Educators as a Registered Early Childhood Educator.
Upon graduating from this Early Childhood Education program, you will have learned to:
- design curriculum for child-centred, play-based learning
- support children’s learning and development by responding to their unique needs and interests
- build caring relationships with children, families and communities
- create safe, healthy and inclusive early-learning environments
Educational Pathways
If you complete this Early Childhood Education Diploma program with a GPA of 2.5 or higher, you may apply to complete the bridge courses for entry into the third year of George Brown's Bachelor of Early Childhood Education - Honours (Degree Completion) program.