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Academic Advising Centre

Early Childhood Education certificate

This guide has been prepared with the information you need to successfully register for your first year at UFV. Please review the information provided on this page thoroughly before contacting your academic advisor with questions.

 

Overview

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.

Before taking practicum students will need a completed criminal record check. They may also be required to obtain a TB clearance and Rubella clearance (as per Community Care Facilities Licensing Legislation).

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.

 

 

Program structure and requirements

Breadth requirements

CourseTitleCredits

HSER 120

Interpersonal Communications for Human Services

3

ENGL 105

Academic Writing

3

or CMNS 125

Communicating Professionally to Academic and Workplace Audiences

 

ECE requirements

Students are required to complete the ECE requirements in the order indicated below.

Semester I (Fall)

CourseTitleCredits

ECE 100

Human Development I

3

ECE 101

Introduction to Early Childhood Education

3

ECE 103

Introduction to Observing and Recording Behaviour of Young Children

3

Semester II (Winter)

CourseTitleCredits

ECE 102

Introduction to Early Childhood Guidance

3

ECE 120

Human Development II

3

ECE 132

Nutrition, Health, and Safety

3

Semester III (Fall)

CourseTitleCredits

ECE 122

Introductory Practicum

6

ECE 123

Art in Early Childhood Education

1.5

ECE 134

Music in Early Childhood Education

3

ECE 125

Early Childhood Programs

3

Semester IV (Winter)

CourseTitleCredits

ECE 130

Presenting Literature to Children

3

ECE 133

Advanced Practicum

6

ECE 135

The Process of Curriculum Development

3

Where can I find a list of courses for the program?

You can access a list of all approved and required courses for your program in two ways:

 

First time using MyGRADplan?

Visit MyGRADplan website to get login instructions and review tutorials. Specifically, you will want to learn about the 'What if' and 'Look ahead' features as they will be most helpful in your course planning.

 

Workload

Given that 3 classes correspond to approximately 20+ hours/week of schoolwork both in and out of the classroom, it is very important that you consider your workload capacity carefully.

It is much better to start with less and add more coursework in future semesters than to start out feeling overwhelmed in your first semester.

Ultimately, the number of courses you take each semester is up to you, below you will find a recommend schedule for first-year students:

 

 

Pick
3-4 courses per semester

 

Expect
9-12 hours per week in class

 

And at least
9-12 hours per week
for homework

Practicum

As part of the program, you also have two practicums to complete:

  • ECE 122 — Introductory practicum
  • ECE 133 — Advanced practicum

Note: You must complete prerequisites and submit required documents to take practicum.

Questions about the practicum?
Visit the Practicum Centre or email Sandrine.Trichard@ufv.ca

 

Suggested course plan

Important:

  • Not all courses are offered each semester, and you need to complete some courses in a particular order to continue in the program.
  • You can take this program part-time but this will create a delay in practicum and graduation.

 

Orientation

The Child, Youth and Family Studies department provides an orientation in March of each year for interested applicants and accepted students. Email CYFSinfo@ufv.ca to request your invitation.

The program information package can be found on the Child, Youth, and Family Studies website.

 

Next steps

Prepare for registration

Watch tutorials, review information on fee payment, important dates, and more.

Explore courses of interest

Find official course descriptions and outlines in the Academic Calendar.

Track your degree progress

Access your program audit & identify the requirements that are needed for graduation.

 

 
Still have questions?

Book an appointment with an academic advisor or email your questions to advising@ufv.ca.

If you are starting in the fall, book your next appointment prior to the winter registration (October).

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