Conestoga news

February 21, 2023 7:55 AM

Conestoga’s ECE program ranked among Canada’s best

According to findings released by CourseCompare on February 2, Conestoga’s Early Childhood Education (ECE) program ranks among the best across Canada, placing second overall.

The two-year Early Childhood Education diploma program prepares students for professional practice in the field of early learning and child care. Through interactive classroom learning and work-integrated learning experiences, students develop skills that enable them to work in collaboration with families, colleagues and communities for the purpose of designing, implementing and evaluating inclusive play-based early learning program.

Students will work in partnership with college-operated child development centres, kindergarten classrooms, licensed early learning and care programs and community agencies to integrate classroom theory and practice in meaningful and engaging ways. Courses include Introduction to Early Learning and Care, Foundations of Curriculum, Play and Pedagogy, Health Safety & Nutrition, Child Development: The Later Years, Partnership with Families.

“We are thrilled to be ranked as one of Canada’s top ECE programs and will continue to deliver high quality educational opportunities that meet the needs of our communities,” said Goranka Vukelich, executive dean, School of Community Services.

CourseCompare is billed as Canada’s marketplace for education by connecting people to top-rated courses and training programs across the country. In compiling its rankings, it reviews job placement rates and four additional performance metrics: verified ratings from recent graduates along four separate dimensions of quality; industry recognition and satisfaction based on employer survey data; graduate earning potential, typically based on salaries within six months of graduation; and graduation rates taken from a variety of sources.

Conestoga also offers a four-year Bachelor of Early Learning paid co-op degree program related to the early childhood field and is home to the only Early Childhood Professional Resource Centre (PRC) located on a college campus.

Available at Conestoga’s Kitchener - Doon campus, the centre is designed to successfully respond to the diverse system needs of the early learning and childcare sector and provides educational resources including books, media, research articles, reference materials, curriculum kits and educational materials to support early learning and care professionals. Continuous learning opportunities such as workshops, symposiums, conferences and networking are offered to build community capacity and quality learning. The PRC also provides on-site pedagogical consultation to Waterloo Region’s early years sector.

Visit the School of Community Services to learn more about ECE programming at Conestoga.