Speech & Language Assistant Diploma

Additional Information

Program Length and Location

This program is available on a part-time basis only, and can be completed over a minimum of two years. Classes are held at Mission or Abbotsford campuses.

Employment Prospects

Employment prospects are excellent in the early childhood fields. A high percentage of graduates are employed (approximately 90%) and many local daycare and preschool centres have been started by program graduates. Some of these centres are now used by the ECE program as field sites where students get practical training.

Early Childhood Education graduates of UCFV have become an important part of the child care community in the Fraser Valley. The early childhood field is expanding in B.C. and there is a shortage of graduates for the care of children under three.

What is Early Childhood Education?

If you choose a career in early childhood education, you will work with young children to enrich and support their intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development. This career offers the chance to fill a meaningful and fulfilling role in society. Early childhood education may involve working with children from infancy through 12 years of age in a variety of settings and programs. Your career goal in early childhood education may be to work as an early childhood assistant, day care or preschool supervisor, child care worker, elementary school teacher aide, parent and adult educator, respite care provider, infant development assistant, speech therapy assistant, infant/toddler supervisor, or special needs supervisor. The UCFV ECE program can also help you continue on the career/ education ladder with its transfer arrangements to the Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Care offered at UCFV.

Graduation

All degree candidates must complete and submit the Request to Graduate form to the Admissions and Records office by April 1. All program requirements must be completed by April 30. This includes any transfer credits from other institutions. Students who enroll in the Spring semester to complete their program will qualify for the following year’s graduation.

Employment Opportunities for Graduates of the SLA Diploma:

SLA graduates may be employed in a variety of settings such as:

Elementary Schools
Preschools
Daycares
Child Development Centres
Clinics
Hospitals
Residential Homes
Public Health Units