Early Childhood Education Diploma is a diploma in Education & Teaching programme taught at Douglas College in New Westminster, Canada. The programme runs for 2 years, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition is CAD 4,100 per total for local students.
At a glance
Degree:Diploma
Field:Education & Teaching
Duration: 2 years
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 4,100 / total
Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
The Early Childhood Education Diploma qualifies you to apply for two provincial licenses to practice as both an Early Childhood Educator and a Special Needs Educator. You’ll be prepared to work in provincially licensed preschool and child-care centres. You'll apply theory to reality through a practicum in an early childhood education setting, and work with children from newborns to eight years old both individually and in groups.
You’ll learn how to manage a child-care setting, guide child development, communicate and collaborate with children and caregivers, and promote health and nutrition. As a part of the Early Childhood Education program, you’ll participate in a learning experience with the Children Teaching Teachers method courses, where children are put in the role of teacher.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: On top of Douglas College's general admission requirements and English Language Proficiency requirement (proof of English proficiency, met with IELTS Academic 6.5, TOEFL iBT 83, PTE Academic 56, Duolingo English Test 110, CAEL 60 or another option the college accepts), the Early Childhood Education Diploma requires applicants to be at least 18 by December 31 of their entry year and to demonstrate suitability through an overview of mental and physical health, prior education, teamwork ability and life experience. This is evidenced by two reference letters from non-relatives familiar with the applicant's work with young children (or a work-history form plus references for those with an existing ECE basic licence), a Criminal Record Check, and a medical declaration or assessment confirming fitness for the programme's practical placements. Applicants who have completed nine or more post-secondary credits must be in good academic standing, with a minimum GPA of 1.5, to be admitted to this ACS programme.
Application Details
Start Date:Douglas runs three fifteen-week semesters a year: Fall from September to December, Winter from January to April and Summer from May to August. The programme page lists intakes in Fall (September) and Winter (January). The Fall 2026 semester began on 8 September 2026 and Winter 2027 classes begin on 4 January 2027.
Application Deadline:Douglas publishes college-wide application windows rather than a single date for every programme, and the domestic and international timetables are different. DOMESTIC APPLICANTS apply on EducationPlannerBC. Applications for a semester open about eleven months ahead, at 9:00 a.m. on the first business day of the opening month: 1 October for the following Fall, 1 February for the following Winter. Douglas labels this an open-enrolment programme, so domestic online applications run until 4:00 p.m. on the Friday before the semester starts — that was 4 September 2026 for Fall 2026 and is 1 January 2027 for Winter 2027 — or until the seats are gone, whichever comes first. A late window (from 1 August for Fall, from 1 December for Winter) is open only to applicants who have already met every admission requirement and can hand over documents at once. Reference and volunteer or paid-work experience forms are part of this application and are published under the programme page’s More Information tab. INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS follow Douglas’s separate college-wide dates, not the domestic ones: the Fall (September) 2026 intake closed on 31 May 2026, Winter (January) 2027 closes on 30 September 2026, and Summer (May) 2027 closes on 31 January 2027. Limited-enrolment programmes can fill before those dates and open-enrolment ones last only while seats do, so Douglas advises applying early enough to leave room for a study-permit application. Read from the programme page and the college deadline pages on 6 September 2026; Douglas had not yet published Summer 2027 domestic closing dates.
