Early Childhood Education Program Approved for VIU Powell River

VIU Powell River Campus is now taking registrations for the one-time offering of the Early Childhood Education and Care program, which starts in September.

February 20, 2015 - 9:45am

A training program for people interested in becoming early childhood educators has been approved for a September start at Vancouver Island University’s (VIU) Powell River Campus.

The two-year Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) certificate program will begin in September, and is now taking applications at http://www.pr.viu.ca/ecec/index.asp.

After VIU Powell River reached out to the community last fall for expressions of interest in the program, there was enough support indicated to move forward on development of a local program for one-time delivery, said instructor Alison Taplay.

“The local early childhood educator community has been working with us over the last year to try to figure out how to make this happen, because their plight has been growing,” said Taplay, referring to a growing need for licensed childcare educators to fill gaps left by retiring childcare providers and insufficient space in daycare and preschool facilities to meet the demand.

“This is going to be a high demand area with many jobs available,” said Taplay.

The two-year certificate program prepares successful graduates to work as licensed childcare providers and preschool educators. Early childhood educators are trained in play-based learning for preschool children, and learn to design and deliver activities that foster emotional, intellectual and cultural growth in young children.

The program will have a strong focus on Aboriginal ways of knowing and learning, and will involve instruction by two instructors of Aboriginal descent from the Nanaimo campus, as well as the support of First Nations Elders, Taplay said.

“We’re pleased to have instruction in the program by Sheila Grieve, co-chair of Nanaimo’s ECEC program, and Danielle Alphonse, the BC Regional Innovation Chair in Early Childhood Development at VIU,” she said.

Information sessions will be held on April 1 and 2 at the VIU Powell River Campus, Brooks Secondary, and at Tla’amin First Nation. Details will be advertised shortly.

With an application deadline of May 15, Taplay encourages those interested in the ECEC program to apply as soon as possible.

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For more information see http://www.pr.viu.ca/ecec/index.asp.