---
title: "Child Development Practitioner Apprenticeship Certificate (ECEK)"
type: "wiki"
space: "School of Early Childhood Education"
author: "Tracy Rogers"
created: 2022-12-19T14:31:09Z
updated: 2026-09-11T14:56:56Z
url: "https://students.senecapolytechnic.ca/spaces/3/school-of-early-childhood-education/wiki/view/8439/child-development-practitioner-apprenticeship-certificate-ecek"
---

# Child Development Practitioner Apprenticeship Certificate (ECEK)

![](https://www.senecapolytechnic.ca/content/dam/projects/seneca/Program-2018/new-banners/ecek2_top.jpg)

# Child Development Practitioner - Apprenticeship Certificate

Offered at [Newnham Campus](https://www.senecapolytechnic.ca/campuses/newnhamlocation.html)

[Child Development Practitioner - Seneca, Toronto, Canada \(senecapolytechnic.ca\)](https://www.senecacollege.ca/programs/fulltime/ECEK.html)

Students enrolled in the Apprenticeship Program undertake the theory component of the course in the evening.  The field placement practicum component of the course is generally achieved at the student’s worksite. Parallel to enrollment at Seneca Polytechnic, students are also registered as Child Development Practitioner Apprentices with the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. The student and their employer must enter into a contract, representing the employer’s willingness to support the student in gaining specific skills at the worksite as well as the signing-off of the Apprenticeship contract which reflects the number of working hours accrued, and the competencies met by the student. The ECE Diploma will not be granted until both the academic and apprenticeship components of the Program are completed.

## **APPRENTICESHIP**

The student will receive a [Child Development Practitioner - Seneca, Toronto, Canada \(senecapolytechnic.ca\)](https://www.senecacollege.ca/programs/fulltime/ECEK.html) Apprenticeship Certificate from the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development upon completion of 4,000 – 6,000 required apprenticeship hours and all of the ECE related subjects.

- The apprentice student should upload their completion form to their STO \(Skills Trade of Ontario\) portal

- If a student changes their place of employment, they will need to contact the Skills Trade of Ontario office. Contact the "Skilled Trades Ontario" through their hotline at 647-847-3000 or toll-free in Ontario at 1-855-299-0028 \([https://www.skilledtradesontario.ca/apprenticeship/starting-your-apprenticeship/](https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.skilledtradesontario.ca%2Fapprenticeship%2Fstarting-your-apprenticeship%2F&data=05%7C02%7Cmichelle.grant1%40senecapolytechnic.ca%7C6050a2be54a64e531fda08de72fa1509%7Ceb34f74a58e74a8b9e59433e4c412757%7C0%7C0%7C639074615583090483%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=%2FCWXsyjxgCBbD9UXwqtPU9zrE0Gg5agDgsRWkyzpiJA%3D&reserved=0)
- After the Ministry review all the requirements, they will process the certificate of apprenticeship.

Students will be awarded an ECE Diploma from Seneca Polytechnic upon completion of three general education \(liberal studies\) subjects, plus Communicating Across Contexts, and their ECE related subjects. The general education subjects are related to a Ministry of Education requirement that each college graduate must have completed a general education component.

### **EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION**

- Early Childhood Education teaches ways to facilitate the physical, motor, language, social, emotional and cognitive development of children.  Students acquire observation skills needed to evaluate a child’s developmental progress.
- The curriculum includes the competencies in the ECE Program Standards of the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development: https://www.ontario.ca/page/college-program-standard-early-childhood-education
- The philosophy of the program is based on the principle that Early Childhood Education course material is learned best through the interweaving of practical experience and theoretical studies. To this end, students will be asked to implement learning from classes within their worksites.
- Assignments are designed so that students apply ideas to actual situations.  Class discussions are developed around experiences in field placement and observations in the laboratory teaching school.