The Department of Education prepares students for fulfilling careers working with families and children from birth through 18 years of age. Along with graduating professionals into the workforce, the department also houses the Children's Centre Demonstration Daycare and hosts the annual Early Childhood Education Awards.

All of our programs include classroom instruction, as well as practical learning opportunities to better prepare our students for real-world experience.

Graduates of our programs have excellent opportunities for employment in a variety of different early childhood settings including child care centres, family day homes, nursery schools, inclusive child care programs, kindergartens and out of school programs. Students completing our programs are highly sought after by employers and have excellent opportunities to obtain employment in our community and surrounding areas.

Early Learning and Child Care Certificate & Diploma

Early Learning and Child Care will prepare you for a career working with children ages 0 – 8 in addition to working with their families. A commitment to this rewarding profession will have long-term benefits to young children, their families, and the communities where they live and work.

Certificate graduates qualify for certification as Child Development Workers through Alberta Children and Youth Services while diploma graduates qualify as Child Development Supervisors.

• Possible Careers Include: Work at child care centres, family day homes, nursery schools, Kindergartens, inclusive child care programs, and out of school programs as a child care worker or supervisor.

Educational Assistant Certificate

The Educational Assistant Certificate is now offered as a fully online program. We are currently accepting students for winter 2024.

Prepare to work in educational settings under the direction of a teacher, providing support to students who require assistance in developmental, behavioural, and/or learning tasks. Graduates of the Educational Assistant program are prepared to work with children in the school system from Kindergarten to Grade 12, in both resource rooms and classrooms. This program also offers the opportunity for those currently employed as Educational Assistants to continue working in the field while obtaining certification.

Your Path, Your Pace - Our EA program includes flexible course offerings through different streams, allowing you to choose a learning path that meets your needs:

• Fast-track to complete your program in only nine months!
• Part-time allows you to take as many or as few courses as you want and is ideal if you're not able to commit to full-time studies.
• Step-by-step offers live and online evening courses where you can learn from the comfort of your home. Maybe you're not able to commit a lot of time for studies but want to work toward your goal of becoming an EA - this option allows you to do that, one course at a time.

• Possible Careers Include: Educational assistant in Kindergarten to Grade 12 classrooms, early intervention worker, daycare worker, employee with Head Start and preschool programs, private educational support.