Discover a career supporting children, families and communities.
The Bachelor of Early Learning and Community Development (Honours) program prepares you to work with children and families in both the community development and educational sectors and provides you with a variety of transferable skills.
There is an increasing awareness of the importance of early learning in our society. Similarly, there is an ongoing need to develop and support early learning opportunities for children and their families within a variety of settings. The early learning sector is evolving to address these changes. This program is ideal for those who want to play a role in these developments.
This program combines theory and practice, giving you the skills and knowledge you need for engaging with communities, families and children to create and implement community and school based programs that support early learning and development.
Throughout the program, you have three varied field placements within both community and school settings. These give you the chance to apply your skills to real-world settings. With field placements, applied learning and a semester-long work term, graduates are ready for employment in the community development and education sectors.
Graduates may find work in:
community health agencies
kindergartens
early learning programs
child and family centres
municipal and provincial government
non-governmental agencies addressing the needs of families, children, and their communities
SUCCESS FACTORS
This program is well-suited for students who:
Have strong observational and analytical skills.
Are willing to work as a member of diverse interprofessional teams.
Have strong language (oral and written) skills.
Are self-reliant and enjoy challenges.
Are interested in child development and teaching children through play.
Are comfortable using computers and other forms of technology.
Enjoy working with children and their families.
Have an appreciation of the importance of research.
Early childhood education is a physically demanding profession. Individuals entering this profession must be able to lift children, materials and equipment (up to 70 pounds). As well, individuals must be able to move quickly/run between areas in the room and outside in order to ensure childrens safety. In addition, educators must constantly observe children to ensure safety and to assess childrens abilities, skills and interest in order to develop meaningful curricula. Entering the program without these abilities may result in unsuccessful field placements and students who fail to successfully complete field placements are not eligible to graduate from the program.