This program is offered through the Building the Future: Opportunities for Early Childhood Educators program.  It is open to Canadian citizens and Permanent Residents. 

As an administrator or director of an early learning and child care organization, you need to oversee all aspects of the business. Your studies will include an examination of the administrative role in overseeing a safe and developmentally appropriate curriculum for children, supporting, and mentoring staff and creating relationships with families, community partners and other professionals. You will study business, leadership and management procedures as they relate to the operation of high-quality early learning and childcare programs.

To qualify:

  1. You need an Early Childhood Education diploma or Early Childhood Education Level 3 certification as assessed by the Ministry of Education in Saskatchewan.
  2. You must be accepted to the Early Childhood Administrator advanced certificate program.
  3. You need to provide a letter of support from your child care board or child care consultant.

Schedule

Required:

  • September 3 – October 25, 2024 
    • ECE 110
  • October 28 – December 20, 2024
    • ECE 111 (Distance)
    • ECE 112
  • January 6 - February 28, 2025
    • ECE 113 (Distance)
    • ECE 114
  • March 3 - April 25, 2025
    • ECE 115 (Distance)
    • ECE 116

Electives (Must take one of four):

  • Date to be determined
    • ADMN 220 (Run through the Business program. Requires in-person exams.)
  • April 28 – June 27, 2025
    • ECE 117
    • ECE 118
    • ECE 119

Course descriptions

Required courses

You will identify the role and responsibilities of an administrator of early childhood education. You will apply provincial frameworks and regulations to administrative assignments. You will promote inclusive programming and develop high-level guiding philosophies for an early learning child care centre.
You will study legal and regulatory requirements of operation a child care facility and apply them to real-world scenarios. You will produce operational policies and procedures and learn to manage daily operations. You will demonstrate enrolment and facilities management and use contemporary evaluation tools to assess operations of existing child care facilities.
You will examine intervention strategies when working with young children and families. You will demonstrate positive working relationships with a range of stakeholders and deescalation of potentially stressful situations. You will learn legal obligations and intervention strategies for children and families for issues such as food insecurity, neglect, and abuse.
You will study legal and ethical considerations for human resources administration in child care centres. You will examine employee recruitment, hiring, orientation, training, and retention. You will examine strategies for discipline and termination standards of professionalism and workplace wellness specific to working with preschool-aged children. You will complete permanent residency processes to support international graduates to maintain employment in the child care sector.
You will study regional accounting regulations and apply them to your assignments. You will operate financial software and perform calculations to balance operational profit and costs. You will learn strategies to manage payroll and government audits.
You will expand on your bookkeeping knowledge to examine a range of potential revenue sources for child care centres. You will learn to calculate standard expenses and manage a budget for a child care business. You examine strategies for outstanding debt recovery and demonstrate strategic financial planning. You will research and compose a funding proposal for a child care facility.
You will examine the Code of Ethics for child care providers to demonstrate leadership and team building principles in the child care sector. You will advocate for early learning and child care and plan professional development for child care staff. You will research, reflect, and develop a personal leadership action plan.

Electives 

Must take one of four courses.

You will study human behaviour in organizations and develop the skills needed to deal with people at work. Your studies include content on individual behaviour, values, interpersonal relationships and communications, groups and team dynamics, organizational culture, leadership, and change. You will study these aspects of human behavior within the context of diverse formal organizations.
You will examine the roles and responsibilities of administrators of multiple sites. You will compare multi-site governance structures and demonstrate enrolment and facilities management for multiple child care sites. You will operate multi-site management software, examine strategic management, and develop a strategic plan for multiple child care sites.
You will study autism spectrum disorder and examine and apply strategies for supportive environments for individuals and families. You will manage crisis situations and arrange professional development for staff working with children with autism spectrum disorder. You will research and compose grant proposals to receive funding for spaces that provide care to children with diverse abilities.
You will examine types of trauma and analyze the neurobiology of traumatic response to stress. You will assess attachment styles and evaluate strategies for trauma-informed care. You will analyze the role of self-care for staff working with children with trauma.


Technology requirements

Students are required to have:

  • A laptop (10 GB or more free space) with a webcam
  • Operating systems: Windows 8 or 10, Mac- OS X Yosemite or higher

For more information, visit Getting Started Online.

Apply now

Applications are closed for the 2024-25 academic year.

To be considered for the 2025-26 academic year, please place your name on the interest list.

Contact us

Email earlylearning@saskpolytech.ca