Cert in Child Development Practitioner

The Child Development Practitioner program is an apprenticeship pathway leading to a Child Development Practitioner Apprenticeship Certificate issued by Ontario's Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skill Development. Apprentices register with an employer sponsor, typically a community service agency, and combine on-the-job training with in-school coursework across basic, intermediate and advanced levels, completing 5,000 to 6,000 hours of on-the-job experience along with the competencies set out in the Apprenticeship Training Standards Log Book. In-school study covers child development theory and intentional program planning, observation and pedagogical documentation, Ontario's Early Years legislation and guiding principles, and collaborative approaches to supporting children and families through responsive relationships. Students also complete a 380-hour practicum placement and use the program's Living Lab, a simulated early years environment, for hands-on learning. Graduates work as educators for infants, toddlers, preschoolers and school-aged children, as facilitators of family support programs, and alongside Ontario Certified Teachers in team-teaching roles, in settings such as child care centres, EarlyON drop-in centres and professional resource centres.