Do You Like Working With Children?
Early childhood educators are usually employed in day-care centres and nursery schools, where they are kept extremely busy in rewarding and challenging work environments. Early childhood educators plan and organize activities for pre-school children, helping to encourage their intellectual, physical and emotional growth.
Completion of a certificate in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) is required in order to be licensed for this type of work. Criminal record checks are also required for those who apply to these programs. Most colleges and university colleges in BC offer ECCE certificate programs, which take from between 9 and 24 months for full-time students.
To become enrolled in an ECCE program, you graduate from have grade 12, and have college-level writing and academic skills. That means you need English 12 and the other courses needed to enter into university and college programs. You must also be at least 19 years old, with proven medical fitness and recent relevant experience as an employee or volunteer in a licensed setting. That means that you can start preparing for a career in Early Childhood Education by taking English, math and science courses in school, and getting volunteer experience early to explore this exciting work.