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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.

 

Admission Requirements

Application Deadline for Winter 2025: December 22nd, 2024.  All new applications for winter term must be submitted by this date to be considered.  Applications made after this date will be deferred to the following semester.

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.

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

ECE Post-Basic: Infant / Toddler Classes

Course CodeCourse TitleCourse HoursCostDescription
ECED 1110Child Growth and Development 145$609This is one of two modules in an introductory course in child development. Students will study the why and how of child development, examine current developmental theory, learn and practice narrative observation methods, and will examine child development during the period covering pre-natal development through the second year of life.
ECED 2400Advanced Programming for Infant / Toddler45$609This course will explore in detail how to plan and implement developmentally appropriate programming for children from birth to 36 months. Students will learn how to plan with intention based on children’s interests for both the indoor and outdoor environments. Students will consider development, safety and diverse needs when programming.
ECED 2410Infant and Toddler Child Development45$609This course will explore in detail the development of children from prenatal to 36 months. Students will explore typical and atypical development in the areas of cognitive, fine motor, gross motor, social emotional, cultural and language. Students will learn developmentally appropriate ways to guide and respond to the individual needs of the child.
ECED 2120Advanced Health & Safety for IT and Inclusive Settings45$609This course will give a detailed overview of the health, safety and nutritional needs of infants and toddlers and children with diverse abilities. Emphasis will be placed on the development, implementation and management of policies, as well as the ability to respond to illnesses and injuries with a focus on preventative practice.
ECED 2150Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for Families45$609This course details resources and guidelines regarding how to communicate with families in a man-ner that highlights individual and family strengths. Students will learn the difference between a strength based and needs based approach. The social, cultural, and political constructs that influ-ence parenting and communities will be explored with the goal of increasing the student’s under-standing of the system in which families must navigate. Students also will learn strategies to sup-port caregivers who may have diverse abilities using a trauma informed lens.
ECED 2500Administrative Skills in Early Learning45$609This course will offer information on management and administration skills that would assist in leading a successful early learning program(s), specifically for infants and toddlers. With an emphasis on licensing requirements, policy and procedure development and professional relationships, this course is designed for educators who are or who will be in a supervisory or management position.
ECED 2960Infant and Toddler Practicum200$812This practicum provides students with the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the pro-cess of relating to and working with infant and toddlers in a quality early childhood setting. Students will conduct directed observations of children and educators and will begin to inte-grate the theories they have learned with the practices they observe. An opportunity to reflect on and discuss their experiences will be offered during three seminar sessions.

ECE Post-Basic: Special Needs Classes

Course CodeCourse TitleCourse HoursCostDescription
ECED 2110Child Growth and Development 245$609This course will guide the student in the study of child development, concentrating on development during the preschool years. The format of the course revolves around a series of observations conducted by students outside of class time. These observations will be used during class as the basis for developing an understanding of development.
ECED 2300Advanced Programming for Diverse Abilities45$609This course will examine in detail how to plan and implement developmentally appropriate programming for children with diverse abilities. Students will learn to make adaptations and accommodations to environments, materials, strategies and expectations to meet the abilities of individual children in an inclusive childcare program. Furthermore, students will review cur-rent theory and research that will support responding to behaviour with a brain based, nurtur-ing approach. The course will also concentrate on analyzing a variety of neurodiversities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and Down Syndrome.
ECED 2310Advanced Child Development for Diverse Needs45$609This course will explore in detail the development of children from prenatal to 6 years of age. Stu-dents will explore typical and atypical development in the areas of cognitive, fine motor, gross mo-tor, social emotional, cultural and language. Students will learn developmentally appropriate ways to guide and respond to the individual needs of the child.
ECED 2120Advanced Health & Safety for IT and Inclusive Settings45$609This course will give a detailed overview of the health, safety and nutritional needs of infants and toddlers and children with diverse abilities. Emphasis will be placed on the development, implementation and management of policies, as well as the ability to respond to illnesses and injuries with a focus on preventative practice.
ECED 2150Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for Families45$609This course details resources and guidelines regarding how to communicate with families in a man-ner that highlights individual and family strengths. Students will learn the difference between a strength based and needs based approach. The social, cultural, and political constructs that influ-ence parenting and communities will be explored with the goal of increasing the student’s under-standing of the system in which families must navigate. Students also will learn strategies to sup-port caregivers who may have diverse abilities using a trauma informed lens.
ECED 2500Administrative Skills in Early Learning45$609This course will offer information on management and administration skills that would assist in leading a successful early learning program(s), specifically for infants and toddlers. With an emphasis on licensing requirements, policy and procedure development and professional relationships, this course is designed for educators who are or who will be in a supervisory or management position.
ECED 2950Inclusion and Diverse Needs Practicum200$812This practicum provides students with the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the process of relating to and working with young children in a quality early childhood setting. Students will conduct directed observations of children and educators and will begin to integrate the theories they have learned with the practices they observe. An opportunity to reflect on and discuss their experiences will be offered during three seminar sessions.

View the Winter, 2025 Schedule

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

Upcoming Info Sessions:

There are no info sessions currently scheduled for this program.  Please contact the office at rmc@sd42.ca to inquire.

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.