Become a Licensed Early Childhood Educator
- 36-week Early Childhood Education Diploma (Full-Time)
- ECE Registry Recognized – Full approval status for BC licensing
- Earn $25/hr + $6 govt. wage enhancement = $31/hr total compensation
- 969 hours total: 485 hours classroom + 484 hours hands-on practicum
- 97% employment rate – High demand for certified ECEs across BC
- Flexible scheduling: Part-time and full-time options available
- Start your own daycare – Entrepreneur pathway with ECE certification
- In-house financing available
Request Info
ECE Registry Recognized Program
As an Early Childhood Educator (ECE), you will provide essential frontline care and education to young children in daycare centers, preschools, kindergartens, and family resource programs. You’ll create engaging, developmentally appropriate learning experiences that support children’s physical, social, emotional, and cognitive growth.
Our Early Childhood Education program is fully recognized by the BC Early Childhood Educator (ECE) Registry. Graduates are eligible for ECE certification, opening doors to employment across all licensed childcare facilities in British Columbia including community daycares, preschools, StrongStart centers, and private early learning facilities.
For some, this will be a lifelong career shaping young minds. Others may advance to become ECE Supervisors, Special Needs Educators, Infant/Toddler Specialists, or pursue further education in Child Development or Elementary Education. Your ECE diploma is the foundation for a meaningful career making a difference in children’s lives.
Program Details
Hours: 969
Weeks Full-Time: 36
Grade 12 or Mature Student Status (19 years of age or more).
Language Proficiency Requirements: To demonstrate language proficiency, applicants must meet at least one of the following criteria:
Option 1: Evidence that 3 years of full-time secondary education (Grades 8–12), or 2 years if the Grades are 10, 11, or 12, have been successfully completed in the program’s language of instruction in a country where the language of instruction is one of the principal languages. Completion of Grade 10 English (or higher) with a minimum grade of C is required.
This may be demonstrated by providing a high school transcript, completion of a BC Adult Graduation program, or providing international education credentials recognized through WES, ICES, or IQAS.
Option 2: 2 years of full-time post-secondary education* have been completed in the program’s language of instruction in a country where the language of instruction is one of the principal languages (includes international education credentials recognized through WES, ICES, and IQAS).
*Language development courses (i.e., ELL courses) cannot be included in this calculation.
Option 3: Standardized Language Test Achievement of minimum scores on a recognized standardized language test. Test results should be valid at the time of enrollment.
Name of English Language Assessment/Test
| Name of English language assessment/test | Minimum score(s)/level(s)* |
|---|---|
| IELTS Academic | Minimum overall score of 5.5 |
| Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) IBT | Minimum overall score of 46 |
| Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL) | Minimum overall score of 40 |
| Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) | Listening 6, Speaking 6, Reading 5, and Writing 5. |
| Duolingo English Test (DET) | Minimum overall score of 95 |
| Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic | Minimum overall score of 43 |
| Cambridge English Qualifications: B2 First exam (FCE) | Minimum overall score of 160 or ‘C’. Institutions may include other Cambridge Qualifications at a higher level (i.e., C2 Proficiency (CPE)). |
| Cambridge Linguaskill | Minimum overall B2 level |
| LANGUAGECERT Academic | Minimum overall B2 level |
| The Michigan English Test (MET) | Minimum overall B2 level |
| iTEP Academic | Minimum overall score of 3.5 |
| EIKEN | Minimum placement of Grade Pre-1 |
Validity period of above Language Assessment Tests is two years.
Option 4
Mature student applicants:
Applicant is 19 years or older at the start of the program and is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who cannot access their educational records or provide sufficient evidence of secondary or post-secondary education as outlined above.
Applicant provides attestation that they have completed at least three years of full-time instruction in English in a country where English is one of the principal languages, and Applicant completes an Accuplacer English Assessment (Next Generation: Reading, Writing and WritePlacer) and achieves the following minimum scores:
| Accuplacer Component | Minimum score |
|---|---|
| Writing | 235 |
| Reading | 235 |
| WritePlacer | 4 |
Note: Assessment of Prior Education Where English is the Language of Instruction
As an option for proof of English language proficiency, institutions may accept evidence that an applicant has successfully completed a specified minimum of full-time secondary or post-secondary education at an accredited institution where English is the language of instruction. Documentation demonstrating this evidence must be provided in English.
Education completed (in English) in the following countries will be considered as counting toward an assessment of prior education in English:
Approved English-Speaking Countries
The following countries are considered as those with English language systems / institutions, where English is a primary and official language, and the language used for education.
| American Samoa | Ghana | Saint Lucia |
| Anguilla | Gibraltar | Saint Kitts and Nevis |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Grenada | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
| Australia | Guam | Seychelles |
| Bahamas | Guyana | Sierra Leone |
| Barbados | Ireland | Singapore |
| Belize | Jamaica | South Africa |
| Bermuda | Kenya | Tanzania |
| Botswana | Lesotho | Trinidad and Tobago |
| British Virgin Islands | Liberia | Turks and Caicos Islands |
| Canada | Malta | Uganda |
| Cayman Islands | Mauritius | United Kingdom |
| Dominica | Montserrat | United States |
| Falkland Islands | New Zealand | United States Virgin Islands |
| Fiji | Nigeria | Zambia |
| Gambia | Saint Helena | Zimbabwe |
- Early Childhood Educator: Lead educational activities in preschools and childcare centers.
- Child Development Consultant: Advise on programs and policies supporting child development.
- Family Support Worker: Assist families in nurturing their children’s growth and learning.
- Start your own Daycare: Pursue entrepreneurship as an ECE professional to open a Daycare in your community.
Western Community College offers a variety of financial aid opportunities to ease students’ stress and allow them to focus on their studies. If you need extra support, we have flexible funding to accommodate all our students, no matter their financial situation.
- BC Student Loan
- In-house Financing
- Student Line of Credit
- Scholarships
- Bursaries and Government grants available while studying and after graduation too.
Our dedicated Financial Aid Officers will help you every step of the way.
- Earn up to $31.00* per hour as an Early Childhood Educator
All wages taken from the Canada Job Bank
Request Info
Student Testimonials
© 2025 Western Community College. All Rights Reserved.