| Province(s)/Territorie(s): British Columbia |
British Columbia
All staff working with children in a licensed child care centre or preschool program must have a Licence to Practice. There are three levels:
Early Childhood Educator Assistant and Early Childhood Educator one-year Licences to Practice require references while Early Childhood and Educator five-year Licence to Practice requires a competency reference from an individual with an ECE License to Practice in B.C.
The number of staff required to have a particular type of Licence to Practice depend upon the type of facility and ages of children.
B.C. uses the term Licence to Practice; however, to be consistent with other jurisdictions, the term certification will be used interchangeably.
An application form must be sent with an official transcript, character or competency reference and proof of 500 hours work experience (for ECE 5-year) to the Early Childhood Registry. Applications may be made online or by mail using a paper application. See the application forms available on the website.
The process takes approximately 2-4 weeks and there is no fee to apply for certification.
There are no residency requirements for certification.
Note: In cases where an applicant has received training more than 10 years ago, they are required to demonstrate currency through proof of work experience and professional development. In the event that they have not remained current (i.e., they have not worked in the field for 10 years or done any training), they are referred to their local training institution to have their training assessed and to complete additional course-work.
Individuals may apply for a higher level of certification once additional educational requirements have been completed. An application form and official transcripts are sent to the Early Childhood Registry.
The ECE One-Year, ECE Five-Year, and ECE Assistant licenses to practice all have different renewal requirements. The ECE One-Year license to practice must be renewed after one year by submitting an application and a letter outlining what prevented the applicant from completing the 500 hours of work experience and competency reference letter.
Effective November 2009, 40 hours of professional development (PD) is required every five years for an ECE licence; completion of an additional credit course in Early Childhood Education is required for an Assistant ECE licence. A renewal form, confirmation of 400 hours work experience, a character reference and proof of PD must be completed and submitted to the Registry's office. Renewals may be made online or by mail using a paper application. There is no fee to apply to renew certification. See renewal forms available on the website.
The Child Care Licensing Regulations allows the director to suspend or cancel, attach terms or conditions to or vary terms or conditions of a certificate if, in the opinion of the director, the certificate holder does not meet the requirements described in section 19 [character and skill requirements] or has engaged in conduct that detrimentally affected the health, safety or well being of a child.
The Approved Training Institutions Offering Early Childhood Education Programscontains a list of recognized public and private post-secondary institutions and adult education programs that are usually offered through school districts. All are approved by the Early Childhood Educator Registry. Private institutions must also be accredited by the Private Career Training Institutions Agency (PCTIA).
The ECE Registry will consider education related to early childhood education if the course content covers at least 80 percent of the material in an ECE program. A Bachelor of Primary Education with an ECE specialization and a Bachelor of Child and Youth Care with an ECE specialization are considered comparable to an ECE. Typically, individuals with other credentials qualify as an ECE Assistant.
The Registry may contact the early childhood education program at a post-secondary institution to determine if the education is comparable or they refer the individual to Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR), which is offered at Northern Lights, College of the Rockies and Douglas College. The Registry will identify for the individual areas of study missing; the individual then completes the courses in those areas at an approved training institution.
Individuals certified in Early Childhood Education as defined in provincial/territorial legislation in another province or territory will be certified in British Columbia at an equivalent level.
Original or notarized copies of certification are required plus the character/competency letter, application form and, if applicable, a letter from the training institution confirming completion of an infant/toddler practicum.
If the applicant has not already achieved certification in another province or territory, an assessment of credentials is carried out. Please note that a two-year ECE diploma from a post-secondary institution, recognized in its home province, is deemed equivalent to an ECE. The applicant must submit an official transcript and a Program Confirmation Form completed by the training institution, forwarded directly to the Registry. A Program Confirmation outlines the course content and instructional hours completed by the applicant. If the credential is more than 10 years old, proof of work and PD must also be submitted. Other ECE credentials are reviewed against B.C.'s Occupational Competencies Assessment tool. The Registry identifies additional areas of study required and the B.C. post-secondary institution identifies courses that meet those areas of study. Alternatively, the applicant may contact a training institution approved by the ECE Registry to discuss an academic assessment of the individual's training, or they may undertake PLAR at Northern Lights, College of the Rockies or Douglas College. Click here for details.
The following credentials are accepted as equivalent:
Individuals with other out-of-country credentials are required to have them evaluated by the International Credential Evaluation Service (ICES). ICES requires an official transcript as a basis for the evaluation and a Program Confirmation Form completed by the training institution. There is a $225 fee per credential evaluated. See the evaluation process for details. The review takes approximately 7 weeks.
In addition to the ICES report a Program Confirmation must be completed by the training institution and sent directly to the ECE Registry. This document will outline the course content and instructional hours completed by the applicant at their training institution.
Once the ICES evaluation and Program Confirmation is received, the ECE Registry either grants equivalency or identifies additional areas of study required and the BC post-secondary institutions identify courses that meet those areas of study.
Individuals who disagree with a decision regarding action that has been taken on their license as well as decisions related to the application or renewal to practice may send a written request for the ECE Registry to review and reconsider the file. Appeals to the decision of the Director may be made within 30 days to the Community Care and Assisted Living Appeal Board.
Family child care providers are not required to be certified ECEs. They are required to have a first-aid certificate and to have completed at least 20 hours course work in child development, guidance, health and safety, or nutrition. A criminal records check must be completed for any person over the age of 12 who will be ordinarily present at the facility.
The ECE Registry database is accessible to the public, providers and licensing officials to validate a licence to practice certificate. The certificate number, the educator's first and last name, and licence expiry date is needed to access this information.
Early Childhood Educator Registry
Ministry of Children and Family Development
PO Box 9961 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria, British Columbia, V8W 9R4
Telephone: (250) 356-6501; Toll-free: 1-888-338-6622
Fax: (250) 952-0765
Email: eceregistry@gov.bc.ca
Copyright Canadian Child Care Human Resources Sector Council
Formerly funded by the Government of Canada's Sector Council Program
Newsletter Signup
Follow Us