Diploma in Early Childhood Education/Diploma in Early Childhood Education (Accelerated)/Diploma in Early Childhood Education (Fast-track)
Toronto, Canada
Diploma
DURATION
24 months
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Jan 2026
TUITION FEES
CAD 16,993 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for Early Childhood Education, $17,023 for Early Childhood Education (Fast-Track), $25,072 for Early Childhood Education (Accelerated)
Key Summary
Leadership Claims
Preparing graduates to work as Early Childhood Educators for more than 20 years.
Early Childhood Education is a two-year diploma program that will teach you how to support children as they grow. You will study the holistic development of infants (from six weeks), toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged children (to 12 years), learn how to plan and implement programs that support children’s learning; and have an opportunity to engage with families and the broader community.
We have structured this program to alternate between in-class learning and field placement. This method of teaching helps you develop confidence in your skills as you learn to apply key concepts from the classroom to a real-world setting. Employers value this approach because it makes our graduates ready to work as early childhood educators on day one.
Please note: While George Brown College encourages all members of our college community to get vaccinated, we only require students who will be living in our residence, The George, or who are varsity athletes, to be vaccinated for Fall 2021. Some of our field placement partners may require students to be fully vaccinated prior to being placed with their agency. As such, students who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 may not be able to complete the required field placement component of their program in the regularly scheduled time frame.
Accelerated Option (16 consecutive months)
For students who are eager to enter the field of Early Childhood Education and are able to study without any significant breaks, we offer an accelerated stream that runs for 16 consecutive months (four continuous semesters).
Fast-Track - Direct Entry Option (10 months)
You may qualify for the fast-track program if you have a diploma or degree in a related field.
Your Field Education Options
Students complete a seven-week field placement in each semester of the program. During this time, students have the opportunity to work with children of different age groups in a variety of settings.
Field placement provides a continuum of experience that gives students the opportunity to integrate and apply theory to practice.
To support student learning outcomes and ensure you have access to facilities that reflect the best practices we consider essential, we own and operate 12 child care centers located across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). These lab schools expose you to the kinds of environments where you will eventually work and provide valuable services to the families and communities that they serve.
This program is approved for OSAP funding, provided the applicant meets OSAP eligibility criteria.
Required Courses
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**Based on the results of your placement test, you may be required to take COMM 1000 Introduction to College Communication before progressing to COMM 1007. COMM 1000 does not count as a course required for graduation, and you will be charged for this extra course.
Accelerated Program Required Courses
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| Semester 3 | Semester 4 |
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**Based on the results of your placement test, you may be required to take COMM 1000 Introduction to College Communication before progressing to COMM 1007. COMM 1000 does not count as a course required for graduation, and you will be charged for this extra course.
Fast-Track Program Required Courses
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The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:
- Create learning contexts to enable, build and maintain caring, responsive relationships in partnerships with children, families and communities that value and respect social, cultural and linguistic diversity including Indigenous peoples' world views and Francophone identity.
- Co-create, facilitate and reflect upon inquiry and play-based early years and child care programs and pedagogical approaches to support children's learning, holistic development and well-being following children's capabilities, interests, ideas and experiences.
- Co-design and maintain inclusive early-learning environments to value and support equitable, accessible and meaningful learning opportunities for all children, their families and communities in a range of early years and child care settings.
- Collaborate with children, families, colleagues, agencies and community partners to create, maintain, evaluate and promote safe and healthy early-learning environments to support independence, reasonable risk-taking and healthy development and well-being.
- Use observation strategies to identify children's strengths and challenges and to ascertain when children and families might benefit from additional support or community resources.
- Use professional communication in interactions with children, families, colleagues, employers, the regulatory body, government authorities and children's service agencies to meet legal and ethical standards of the early years sector.
- Act in accordance with relevant legislation, regulations, College of Early Childhood Educators Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, agency policies and procedures and principles of evidence-informed practice and reflect upon their impact on one's own role in early years and child care settings.
- Identify, report and document when a child is in a situation of perceived risk for, or actual neglect or abuse, in accordance with legislation, the College of Early Childhood Educators Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, policies and procedures.
- Create and engage in partnerships with families, communities, colleagues, interdisciplinary professionals, authorities and child service agencies to advocate for quality early years and child care programs and services.
- Engage in reflective practice and continuous professional learning in accordance with principles of lifelong learning, evidence-informed practices in the early years sector and requirements of the College of Early Childhood Educators.
Your Career
Graduates of this program may find employment in:
- child care centers
- early years centres
- full-day kindergarten
- parent resource centres
- pediatric playrooms
- special education settings
- integrated kindergartens
- therapeutic nursery programs
- in-home care
Educational Pathways
Students who complete the Early Childhood Education program with a GPA of 2.50 or higher may apply to complete the bridge courses for entry into the third year of the Honours Bachelor of Early Childhood Leadership program (C301).
Future Study Options
Students who complete the Early Childhood Education program with a GPA of 2.5 or higher may apply to complete the bridge courses for entry into the third year of the Honours Bachelor of Early Childhood Leadership program (C301).
Your Early Childhood Education diploma will give you credit toward degree programs at other institutions. It also makes you eligible for entrance to Ontario’s College of Early Childhood Educators.