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Early Childhood Educator – Post-Basic Programs

The Early Childhood Education (ECE) programs prepares students to work with young children in a variety of early learning settings.  An ECE Post-Basic credential represents additional training that has been completed by a student to specialize in a specific area.  Ridge Meadows College offers the following Post-Basic Credentials:

  • Infant / Toddler Educator
  • Special Needs Educator

Infant / Toddler Educators are permitted to work alone, or in childcare settings as the primary educator for children from birth through age 5.

Special Needs Educators are permitted to work alone, or in childcare settings as the primary educator for children from age 3 through age 5 but also possess specialized training to work with children with diverse and unique abilities.

To begin a post-basic program you must already possess a valid ECE-Certificate.  If you do not yet have a certificate, please click the following link for information on the: ECE Assistant or ECE Certificate/Diploma Programs.

Post-Basic courses are all taught online with the exception of Practicums which (in most cases) must take place within a licensed childcare centre.

Returning Students: If you want to apply for a post-basic program and are a returning student who has completed your ECE Certificate program at Ridge Meadows College within the last two years, please log in to the student portal (www.myrmc.ca) and fill out the Request Form to add a post-basic program.  If you were a certificate student from more than two years ago, please contact the office at rmc@sd42.ca and ask them for assistance.

We are currently accepting applications for the Spring/Summer (May 2025) semester.

Spring/Summer Registration now open!

Admission Requirements

Academic Requirements:

  • Completion of Grade 12 (or equivalent) or 19 years of age or older.

English Language Requirement:

  • Completion of English 12, or equivalent, or a satisfactory demonstration of written and verbal English ability as determined by the College (View the college’s complete English Language Requirements)

Application Requirements:

  • Completion of Application form
  • 2 Letters of Reference
  • Current Resume
  • Statement of Interest (1 to 2 pages)
  • Criminal Record Check
  • Immunization Declaration
  • Medical Declaration
  • Successful Interview with Program Chair
  • ECE Basic certification

Apply Now

 

International students are not eligible to apply to this program.

Term Start Dates

The ECE program accepts ongoing applications with three starts per year in:

  • January
  • May
  • September

ECE Post-Basic Program Fees for 2024/25 are as follows (they are the same for either Special Needs or Infant/Toddler:

  • Application Fee (non-refundable): $30
  • Approximate Course Fees: $4,466
  • Textbook’s extra and purchased by students.
  • Technology and Library fee of $50 per semester.

Note: the fees above represent one post-basic program.  For students wishing to take both programs, fees would total $7,105 as three courses are shared between the two programs.

Starting in September, 2025: Tuition fees will increase for RMC courses.  Fee changes will apply to all students, including those that may be part-way through the program.

  • 2-credit courses will increase from $406 to $420
  • 3-credit courses will increase from $609 to $630
  • 4-credit courses will increase from $812 to $840

Payment plans are available for students meeting certain conditions.  This program is not applicable for student loans.

ECE Post-Basic: Infant / Toddler Classes

ECE Post-Basic: Special Needs Classes

View the Spring/Summer 2025 Schedule.

View the Textbook List.  Textbooks are mandatory for those classes that require them.

Upcoming Info Sessions:

Click here to register

Monday, March 03, 2025 at 6:00 PM OR Monday, April 07, 2025 at 6:00 PM

Ridge Meadows College is committed to affordable tuition and accessible financing options to make post-secondary education more available to students in the community. As a result, RMC offers payment plans for students who wish to spread their payments out throughout the term.

Students can apply for payment plans via the MyRMC Student system upon being admitted to the college and enrolling in courses. Payment plans work by dividing total fees for the term into equal payments to be paid at the beginning of each month the student is enrolled in classes.

Beginning in January, 2024, the government of BC initiated a new program offering a $6 wage enhancement for students who complete and approved ECE Certificate Program.

In addition, students who complete an approved post-basic program are eligible for an ECE Specialized Certification Grant of $2000 (in the case of completion of either Infant/Toddler or Special Needs Educator) or $3000 (in the case of completion of both post-basic programs).

Early Childhood Educators of BC (ECEBC)

ECEBC provides professional development opportunities, training and resources for early childhood educators across BC with a vision for a society where early childhood educators thrive in a supportive community that values childhood and education.

Since September 2018, the Early Childhood Educators of BC (ECEBC), in partnership with the Province of British Columbia, enhanced and expanded the ECE Bursary Program, now known as the ECE Education Support Fund (ECE ESF).

This program consists of two funding streams:

  1. The Early Childhood Education (ECE) Education Support Fund (formally the bursary); and
  2. The ECE Workforce Development Bursary Fund Program

These funding streams are designed to increase the number of students entering, re-establishing and graduating from recognized ECE post-secondary programs.

Please follow the link for more information as Ridge Meadows College does not manage this bursary.

https://www.ecebc.ca/ece-education-support-fund

The BC Employer Training Grant is a provincial grant available to employers who want to fund an employee’s education and covers 80% of training costs.

Information about the grant can be found here: https://www.workbc.ca/find-loans-and-grants/industry-and-employers/bc-employer-training-grant

Note, this grant is available to employers only and only when following certain conditions.  Please contact WorkBC directly if you have questions about this grant.

Métis Early Childhood Educators may be eligible for a wage supplement in BC.  To show appreciation for the value of caring for children, MNBC has created a Métis ECE Supplement.  It is designed to support licensed Métis ECEs and ECEAs who are working in licensed childcare programs across the province with a financial supplement.

Apply by contacting the Métis ECE Recruitment and Retention specialist at ecesupports@mnbc.ca.

Other Indigenous nations may also have wage supplements.  If you are an Indigenous student, contact your nation to inquire.

Is there financial assistance for the ECE Program? 
Yes. As well as the Provincial Government’s bursary program, students can access funding through WorkBC, the employer training grant and sometimes other methods.

Is the total program tuition paid upfront? 
No. Students pay for the courses in which they register, not for the whole program.  Alternatively, there is a monthly payment plan option for students who prefer to pay in instalments and intend to complete the entire program.

How much of this program is online?
All post-basic courses (except the practicums) are offered online.

Will I be qualified to work in Kindergarten classes with a post-basic ECE credential?
No.  All classroom teachers in B.C.’s public school system must meet the requirements to register in the BC College of Teachers.

Can I do practicum in my own early childhood worksite?
In most cases, yes.  We try to work with students and their employers to ensure practicum will not unduly interrupt their current work commitments, while ensuring all ECE Registry requirements are met.

Are Practicums Full-time or Part-time?
Practicums are full-time and completed at a specific time in a semester’s schedule.

What level of English proficiency is required?
This program requires students to write and communicate in English competently.

Early Childhood Educator (Certificate/Diploma) – In the certificate and diploma programs, through study of such topics as Child Development, Curriculum Development, and Child, Family & Community – as well as practical exposure through practicum placements in licensed child-care programs – students gain the knowledge and experience needed to apply for certification as an Early Childhood Educator.

Early Childhood Educator – Assistant – An ECE Assistant is an entry-level position that allows an educator to work in a daycare / early childhood classroom and to count towards ratio of instructors to students.

Education Assistant: Education Assistants work with K-12 students who have special physical, behavioural or learning needs. RMC’s Education Assistant Program prepares graduates for supporting students in mainstream learning assistance, resource room, English literacy, and alternate settings.