Understanding the Process for the Individual Assessment of Educational Qualifications

What are the requirements for Phase 1 of the individual assessment process?

The requirements that must be met in Phase 1 are as follows. An applicant must meet all of these requirements in order to proceed to Phase 2.

1. Complete and submit the Application Form for the Individual Assessment of Educational Qualifications along with supporting documentation as applicable for Phase 1 of the process
2. Have successfully completed post-secondary education that meets the College’s minimum criteria for education (as outlined below)
3. Be proficient in English or French
4. Satisfy considerations about issues potentially affecting practice
5. Submit payment of the application and registration fees

What criteria are used to assess an applicant’s education in Phase 1 of the process?

An applicant’s education is assessed against all three of the following minimum criteria in Phase 1.

1. Program completion
   • The official transcript and/or the credential evaluation report from World Education Services (WES) must indicate diploma or degree awarded.
2. Program duration
   • The program must be at least four semesters (or two years) in length at the post-secondary level when completed full-time.
3. Institution status
   • The post-secondary institution must be recognized in its own jurisdiction and authorized to grant diplomas or degrees in its own jurisdiction and, for institutions outside Canada, evaluated by World Education Services as recognized in Canada.

What supporting documents must be submitted in Phase 1 of the process?

In Phase 1, the following documents must be submitted.

• A complete Application Form for the Individual Assessment of Educational Qualifications
• Payment of the application and registration fees
• Supporting documents related to the following sections of the Application Form for the Individual Assessment of Educational Qualifications, as applicable for your circumstances:*
  • Section 5: Personal Information
  • Section 6: Educational Requirement
  • Section 7: Language Fluency
  • Section 8: Professional Registration (Licensure)
  • Section 9: Issues Potentially Affecting Practice

*See the College’s Application Guide for the Individual Assessment of Educational Qualifications for requirements and instructions about what supporting documents must be submitted related to these sections of the form.

What are the requirements for Phase 2 of the individual assessment process?

The requirements that must be met in Phase 2 are as follows. An applicant must meet all requirements in order to be eligible for registration with the College.

1. Have successfully completed a combination of post-secondary education and experience (work experience, internship, or practicum) that meets the College’s assessment criteria for education (as outlined below)
2. Continue to meet all other requirements for registration

What criteria are used to assess an applicant’s education in Phase 2 of the process?

An applicant’s education and experience is assessed against all five of the following criteria in Phase 2. All five criteria must be met in order for an applicant to meet the education requirement for registration.

1. The diploma or degree relates to the practice of early childhood education and has a minimum of 1,200 hours of instruction in early childhood education.
2. The program or the additional academic course work you completed has a minimum of three courses of approximately 45 instructional hours each in general education.
3. The program demonstrates all of the vocational learning outcomes outlined in the most recent Early Childhood Education Program Standard approved by the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development (formerly Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities).
   • The program must demonstrate a minimum of 60% of the relevant elements of the performance through academic course work in order to achieve each vocational learning outcome.
4. The program demonstrates all of the Essential Employability Skills outlined in the most recent Early Childhood Education Program Standard approved by the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development (formerly Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities).
   • The academic program, together with any other courses and applicant’s experience should provide satisfactory evidence of achieving the essential employability skills.
5. Your experience (work experience, internship, or practicum) related to the practice of early childhood education must be:
   • A minimum of 476 hours
   • Under the supervision of a qualified educator
   • With at least two of the following three age groupings: infant/toddler (0 – 30 months), preschool (30 months – 6 years) and school age (44 months – 13 years), provided that the applicant’s experience combined with the course content of his or her academic program relates to all three age groupings.
     • The College will also consider the experience gained in a specialized setting (e.g. family resource centres, special needs programs, elementary school, etc.)

What supporting documents must be submitted in Phase 2 of the process?

In Phase 2, the following documents must be submitted related to your education (and work experience, if applicable). These are described below.

1. Self-Assessment Form
2. Official course outlines, syllabi for program(s) completed*
3. Validator’s Contact Information Form
4. Validation of Work Experience Form*

*See the end of this section for information about what to do if documents are not in English or French.

Important:

• Any additional documents not listed in this section (e.g., unofficial transcripts, photocopies of credentials, professional development certificates, resumes, student assignments, activity plans, or portfolios) will not be reviewed as they cannot be used to demonstrate the education requirement.
• In Phase 2, the College may also ask you for additional supporting documents related to other registration requirements (e.g., documents related to issues potentially affecting practice). The College will contact you in these circumstances.

1. Self-Assessment Form

The purpose of the self-assessment is for you to consider your academic course work in relation to the requirements for registration.

Review your transcript(s) and course outlines and indicate the course name and course code in the column on the right-hand side of the form that meets each element of the performance and each vocational learning outcome.

Important: Vocational learning outcomes can only be demonstrated through theoretical training. They cannot be demonstrated through practicum or field placement experience, work or life experience.

2. Official course outlines, syllabi for program(s) completed

Course outlines/syllabi are an integral part of the assessment process. They assist the College in assessing the elements of the performance for each vocational learning outcome.

A course outline is a documented description of a course and should include the following:

• Course title and course code/number (which must match the course titles/codes and semester/year listed on your transcript)
• Course prerequisite(s)
• Course total number of hours
• Course description
• Course objectives
• Student learning outcomes
• Required text and readings
• Required assignments
• Methods of evaluation

You must mail all course outlines or syllabi to the College’s office.

Important:

• The official course outline or syllabus must describe both the academic courses and practicum or internship, where applicable.
• The official course outline or syllabus must be for the course listed on your transcript.
• The College requires the course outlines, syllabi for each academic program you completed and accepts photocopies of these documents directly from you or a printed version of the syllabi from the educational institution. However, self-written or self-typed documents are not accepted.

3. Validator’s Contact Information Form

Your experience in the practice of early childhood education (work experience, practicum or internship) must be validated by a mentor, supervisor, director or equivalent.

This individual, the Validator, must meet all of the following criteria:

• Has obtained her/his educational qualifications in early childhood education.
• Is qualified to practise the profession in their jurisdiction:
  • In Ontario, the Validator must be a member in good standing of the College of Early Childhood Educators.
  • In a jurisdiction outside of Ontario, the Validator must be able to practise the profession in that jurisdiction.
• Mentored or supervised your work in the practice of early childhood education.

You must provide the Validator’s contact information to the College by completing and submitting the Validator’s Contact Information Form.

• If you have more than one Validator, you are required to submit a separate Validator’s Contact Information Form for each Validator.

Important: The individual(s) selected to be your Validator(s) must meet the criteria outlined above.

4. Validation of Work Experience Form

The College will use the Validator’s completed form in the assessment to determine whether you meet the work experience criterion.

The Validation of Work Experience Form will be sent directly to the Validator by the College.

The Validator must return the completed form and any relevant additional documentation (e.g., job description, performance appraisal form) directly to the College within 30 days of receiving the Validation of Work Experience Form.

Upon request, the College will provide an applicant with a copy of their Validator’s completed form.

Important:

• A Validation of Work Experience Form completed and submitted by a Validator who does not meet the criteria for a qualified Validator will not be considered.
• The College does not accept Validation of Work Experience Forms from applicants or individuals other than the person identified on the Validator’s Contact Information Form.
• Incomplete forms (e.g., missing pages, missing hours with a specific age grouping, etc.) will delay the processing of the applicant’s file.

The College requires all documentation to be submitted in either English or French. You must arrange for a translator acceptable to the College to translate your documents.

The translated documents must be accompanied by a cover letter which contains the following information:

• Applicant’s full name
• Type of document(s) which have been translated including the documents in the original language
• Date of the translation
• Translator’s identification number or seal (or both)
• Translator’s name and contact information
• Signature of the translator

To obtain the name of an accredited translator in Ontario, contact:

Association of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario (ATIO)
Telephone: 613-241-2846
Toll-free: 1-800-234-5030
E-mail: info@atio.on.ca
Website: www.atio.on.ca

or

COSTI Immigrant Services
Telephone: 416-658-1600
E-mail: info@costi.org
Website: www.costi.org

The College will also accept translations from:

• The consulate, high commission or embassy to Canada of the country that issued the documents. This information is available at https://www.international.gc.ca/.
• A Canadian embassy, consulate, or high commission in the country from which the document comes. This information is available at https://www.international.gc.ca/.