Table of contents
- Child care
- For parents and families
- Finding and choosing child care
- Child care subsidy
- For programs and educators
- Space Creation Grant
- Starting and operating a licensed program
- Submit online claims
- Alberta Child Care Grant Funding Program
- Become a family day home educator
- Supports for inclusion
- Early childhood educator certification
- Funding and training opportunities
- Appeal a decision
- How to appeal
- Appeal hearing
- Minister's Awards of Excellence in Child Development
Overview
To help shape children’s lives, Alberta needs an estimated 7,000 to 9,500 more Early Childhood Educators (ECE) over the next 4 years to fill existing vacancies and new positions.
In order to give tomorrow's generation a great start, we need to recruit, train and certify new ECEs to staff up to 68,700 new licensed child care spaces that are expected to open by 2026. This is part of the $3.8 billion provincial-federal child care agreement.
A career as an Early Childhood Educatorgives you the opportunity to grow your future in a high-demand field.
If you are looking to work in a licensed daycare, out-of-school care, preschool program, or as a provider operating under a licensed family day home agency, you are required to be certified. Within 6 months of employment, child care staff must be certified and cannot and must not have unsupervised access to children until they have met the core requirements, including being certified.
Federal-provincial child care agreement
On November 15, 2021, the Alberta and federal governments announced an agreement to reduce child care fees by an average of 50%in early2022 and to provide $10 per day fees, on average,by 2026. Learn more about this historic agreement.
Requirements
Early Childhood Educators are required to follow the conduct requirements outlined in the Certification Guide for Early Childhood Educators. ECEs must report any current or ongoing investigation, charge, court hearing, trial, or conviction as identified in Appendix A of the Certification Guide.
Read the Certification Guide for Early Childhood Educators to learn all the requirements and processes to apply for and maintain certification under the Early Learning and Child Care Act and Regulation, including:
- new conduct requirements
- changes to certification status
- appeals
- requests for reassessment processes
Use the Self-Disclosure Reporting Form (PDF, 84 KB) to meet the conduct requirements.
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Educational requirements
Level 1 Early Childhood Educator
To be certified for Level 1, you must have completed one of the following:
- Alberta Child Care Orientation Course
- CCS 3110, 3120, 3130, 3140 and 3150 (offered through Career and Technology Studies at Alberta high schools)
- 45-hour (3 credits) post-secondary coursework related to child development
- Family Child Care Training Program through an approved Alberta Family Day Home agency registered with the Alberta Family Child Care Association
- ELCC coursework with outcomes that focus on diversity and Indigenous learnings, as approved by Children’s Services
Level 2 Early Childhood Educator
To be certified for Level 2, you must have completed:
- 1-year early learning and child care certificate program offered by an Alberta public college or university, or an approved educational equivalency
Level 3 Early Childhood Educator
To be certified for Level 3, you must have completed:
- 2-year early learning and child care diploma program offered by an Alberta public college or university, or an approved educational equivalency
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Educational equivalencies
If you do not have education in early learning and child care, you can refer to the Coursework Equivalency Chart in the Certification Guide for Early Childhood Educators to determine if your education is recognized for certification.
Individuals who have not completed a full educational certificate, diploma or degree program or whose training does not match the Educational Equivalencies Chart will have their coursework assessed using the Coursework Equivalency Chart as noted in Appendix A in the Certification Guide for Early Childhood Educators.
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Child Care Orientation Course
The child care orientation course is for Alberta residents who do not have post-secondary educational studies in early learning and child care.
This non-credit course is available online and meets the eligibility requirements to be a certified Level 1 Early Childhood Educator (ECE) in Alberta. The course is funded by the Alberta government and is offered at no cost to participants. The course is available in both English and French.
(Video) Early Childhood Educator Certificate in Canada FreeTo register for the course, applicants must be at least 16 years of age, and be a Canadian citizen, a Permanent Resident Card holder, or a Work or Study Visa holder legally residing in Alberta.
Suivez le cours en français
Le cours d’orientation en ligne sur la garde d’enfants est maintenant offert en français. La réussite de ce cours permettra aux personnes d’obtenir le titre d’assistant(e) en développement de l’enfant, un niveau d'agrément requis pour pouvoir travailler dans un programme de garde d’enfants autorisé ou approuvé en Alberta. Les versions française et anglaise du cours d’orientation en ligne sur la garde d’enfants sont offertes par l’entremise de la BaseCorp Learning Systems.
Le cours français en ligne est offert sans frais et à toute personne ayant la citoyenneté canadienne ou à toute personne détenant une carte de résident permanent canadien qui occupe un emploi ou qui a l’intention de travailler dans un service de garde autorisé ou approuvé en Alberta.
How to apply
Before you apply for certification, read the Certification Guide for Early Childhood Educators to make sure you are eligible and understand all the steps. The guide includes information about the educational and language proficiency requirements.
Once you have read the guide, apply online using the Early Childhood Educator Certification Application.
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Level 1 Early Childhood Educator certification
For Level 1, you will be asked to send copies of your educational transcripts or statement of marks verifying completion of one the following:
- 45 hours (3 credits) post-secondary coursework related to child development
- Alberta Child Care Orientation Course
- CCS 3110, 3120, 3130, 3140 and 3150 (offered through Career and Technology Studies at Alberta high schools)
- Family Child Care Training Program through an approved Alberta Family Day Home agency registered with the Alberta Family Child Care Association
- ELCC coursework with outcomes that focus on diversity and Indigenous learnings, as approved by Children’s Services
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Level 2 and Level 3 Early Childhood Educator certification
For levels 2 and 3, you must arrange for your official transcripts to be sent directly from your educational institution to the Alberta Child Care Staff Certification Office.
If your education was completed outside of Canada, refer to theCertification Guide for Early Childhood Educators to determine if you require a language proficiency assessment or other additional documents.
If you need help or have questions about using the new Early Childhood Educator Certification online application, call the Alberta Child Care Staff Certification Office at 1-800-661-9754.
Early Childhood Educator Certification Application
(Video) How to be a registered early childhood educator in Canada (without studying again) -
Apply using MyAlberta Digital ID
MyAlberta Digital ID (MADI) allows you to start an application for Early Childhood Educator certification, stop, and then come back to it later. If you are in the middle of an application, simply log back in to continue.
To complete the application process through MADI, you will be required to create a basic MADI account. To create a basic account, all you need is an email address.
- Create or access your MyAlberta Digital ID account.
MADI is your single, verified online identity for interacting with Government of Alberta online programs and services. It is free to create and gives you secure access to apply for Early Childhood Educator certification.
After you apply
After your application is assessed, the result will be sent to you by email and if you meet the certification requirements, a certificate will be delivered by mail.
Early childhood educator certification come in 3 levels:
- Level 1 Early Childhood Educator (formerly Child Development Assistant)
- Level 2 Early Childhood Educator (formerly Child Development Worker)
- Level 3 Early Childhood Educator (formerly Child Development Supervisor)
Current certification processing time is 4 to 6 weeks.
If you believe your education qualifies for a higher level of certification, once you receive your certificate, you may request a reassessment by completing the Request for reassessment form (PDF, 90KB).
Include any additional information that might be useful for the reassessment, for example: course descriptions or an updated official transcript.
Replacement certificates
If you lose your certificate or need to update your personal information, you can request a replacement certificate by using the Request for Replacement Certificate form (PDF, 98 KB).
PDF form issues
Fillable PDF forms do not open properly on some mobile devices and web browsers. To fill in and save the form:
- Save the PDF form to your computer – click or right-click the link and download the form.
- Open the PDF form with Adobe Reader. Fill it in and save it.
If you are still having problems opening the form, contact PDF form technical support.
Contact
Connect with the Alberta Child Care Staff Certification Office:
Hours: 8:15 am to 4:30 pm (open Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)
Toll free: 1-800-661-9754
Email: [emailprotected]
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