Early Childhood Care and Education: Special Needs Certificate is a certificate in Education & Teaching programme offered by Capilano University in North Vancouver, Canada. The programme runs for 8 months, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition is CAD 3,000 per total for local students.
At a glance
Degree:Certificate
Field:Education & Teaching
Duration: 8 months
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 3,000 / total
Last updated October 2026 · Source: capilanou.ca ·
Program details
Overview
The certificate builds the competencies and knowledge needed to work with children under five in licensed preschools and childcare centres, with coursework satisfying what the Special Needs Certificate to Practice calls for. Coursework spans family and community, the guidance of young children, and child development, with that learning applied through practicums. Successful completion opens eligibility to apply to the related bachelor's degree program.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: This certificate is not directly admitted: Capilano's own program page states that it does not accept applications, and that only students already enrolled in Capilano's Early Childhood Care and Education diploma or degree program(s) may work towards earning this credential as part of their studies. The ECCE Diploma's own page requires high school graduation with English Studies 12, English 12, or English First Peoples 12, and recommends (without requiring) a grade point average of 2.0 (60%) across that English course and three further academic Grade 12 courses, with admissions preference sometimes given to applicants who took Literary Studies 12 as one of those three. Applicants who completed their previous education in a language other than English must meet Capilano's general English-language proficiency requirement, published on the university's admission-requirements page: IELTS Academic 6.5 overall with no band below 6; TOEFL iBT 83 (or, from Spring 2027, 4.5 overall with no section below 4.0 on the redesigned scale); CAEL 70; PTE Academic 56; or Duolingo English Test 125+ with no sub-score below 115 (accepted on a temporary basis). Applicants should consult the ECCE diploma or degree's own admission page for current requirements.
Application Details
Application Deadline:Domestic and international applicants both apply through EducationPlannerBC: the domestic application fee is $50 CAD and the international fee is $135 CAD, each covering up to two programmes. Capilano University publishes no university-wide application-opening or closing date for either group for the 2026-27 cycle; its how-to-apply pages instruct applicants to check the application and document deadlines on their chosen programme's own page, since every programme sets its own intake window there. Admission is effectively rolling at the institution level, governed programme by programme, with some programmes (for example the Health Care Assistant Certificate) publishing a fixed intake window that opens and closes months ahead of the start date. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
