ECE106 - Preparation for Early Learning and Care Practice

Subject Title
Preparation for Early Learning and Care Practice

Subject Description
This course prepares Early Childhood Education (ECE) students for their upcoming field placements in early learning settings which are scheduled for semesters 2, 3, and 4. Emphasizing the importance of professional behaviour and ethical practice, students will learn to engage safely and effectively with young children and their families as well as community partners and mentors. Students are expected to demonstrate their readiness for placement by exhibiting professional behavior in the classroom, lab studios, and forest school. This includes attending regularly, being punctual, actively participating in group activities, and maintaining professional communication with the Field Liaison and Lab Educators.
Through a combination of seminars, lab studio activities, and practical experiences in Seneca?s forest school, students will develop the skills, knowledge, and confidence needed to succeed in their field placements. Completion of the compulsory Ministry authorization documents and the required Field Placements preparation steps are mandatory for success in this course.

Credit Status
ECE 106 is an Early Childhood Education Diploma Program prescribed subject.
This is a pre-requisite course for ECE213 and ECE216.

Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this subject the student will be able to:

This subject will be evaluated based on the student's active participation in seminars, lab studios, forest school and webinars.  The final grade in this subject will be SAT (satisfactory), UNSAT (Unsatisfactory) or INC (Incomplete). The criteria used to distinguish between (SAT, UNSAT OR INC) will be based on the learning outcomes.
 
Upon successful completion of this subject the student will be able to:

1. Articulate policies, procedures, and ethical obligations applicable to early learning and care in a placement setting. 

2. Demonstrate required documentation to be prepared to work with children and families in a field placement. 

3. Identify standards of practice established by the College of Early Childhood Educators to work professionally with children, families and colleagues. 

4. Explain the student’s role as a pre-service early childhood educator in field placement settings. 

5. Discuss the importance of responsive relationships and environments in supporting children’s well-being and learning in diverse early learning and care contexts.  (Lab experiences)

ECE VOCATIONAL LEARNING OUTCOMES
 
This Seneca program has been validated by the Credential Validation Service as an Ontario College Credential as required by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities.
 
As a graduate, you will be prepared to reliably demonstrate the ability to:
 

• Create learning contexts to enable, build and maintain caring, responsive relationships in partnerships with children, families and communities that value and respect social, cultural and linguistic diversity including Indigenous peoples' worldviews and Francophone identity.
• Co-create, facilitate and reflect upon inquiry and play-based early years and childcare programs and pedagogical approaches to support children's learning, holistic development and well-being following children's capabilities, interests, ideas and experiences. 
• Co-design and maintain inclusive early learning environments to value and support equitable, accessible and meaningful learning opportunities for all children, their families and communities in a range of early years and childcare settings.
• Collaborate with children, families, colleagues, agencies and community partners to create, maintain, evaluate and promote safe and healthy early learning environments to support independence, reasonable risk-taking and healthy development and well-being.
• Use observation strategies to identify children's strengths and challenges and to ascertain when children and families might benefit from additional support or community resources.
• Use professional communication in interactions with children, families, colleagues, employers, the regulatory body, government authorities and children's service agencies to meet legal and ethical standards of the early years sector. 
• Act in accordance with relevant legislation, regulations, College of Early Childhood Educators Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, agency policies and procedures and principles of evidence-informed practice and reflect upon their impact on one's own role in early years and childcare settings.
• Identify, report and document when a child is in a situation of perceived risk for, or actual neglect or abuse, in accordance with legislation, the College of Early Childhood Educators Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, policies and procedures.
• Create and engage in partnerships with families, communities, colleagues, inter-disciplinary professionals, authorities and child service agencies to advocate for quality early years and childcare programs and services.
• Engage in reflective practice and continuous professional learning in accordance with principles of lifelong learning, evidence-informed practices in the early years sector and requirements of the College of Early Childhood Educators.

Essential Employability Skills

    •  Communicate clearly, concisely and correctly in the written, spoken and visual form that fulfils the purpose and meets the needs of the audience.

    •  Locate, select, organize, and document information using appropriate technology and information systems.

    •  Analyze, evaluate, and apply relevant information from a variety of sources.

    •  Show respect for diverse opinions, values, belief systems, and contributions of others.

    •  Manage the use of time and other resources to complete projects.

    •  Take responsibility for one's own actions, decisions, and consequences.

Academic Integrity
Seneca upholds a learning community that values academic integrity, honesty, fairness, trust, respect, responsibility and courage. These values enhance Seneca's commitment to deliver high-quality education and teaching excellence, while supporting a positive learning environment. Ensure that you are aware of Seneca's Academic Integrity Policy which can be found at: http://www.senecapolytechnic.ca/about/policies/academic-integrity-policy.html Review section 2 of the policy for details regarding approaches to supporting integrity. Section 2.3 and Appendix B of the policy describe various sanctions that can be applied, if there is suspected academic misconduct (e.g., contract cheating, cheating, falsification, impersonation or plagiarism).

Please visit the Academic Integrity website http://open2.senecac.on.ca/sites/academic-integrity/for-students to understand and learn more about how to prepare and submit work so that it supports academic integrity, and to avoid academic misconduct.

Discrimination/Harassment
All students and employees have the right to study and work in an environment that is free from discrimination and/or harassment. Language or activities that defeat this objective violate the College Policy on Discrimination/Harassment and shall not be tolerated. Information and assistance are available from the Student Conduct Office at student.conduct@senecapolytechnic.ca.

Accommodation for Students with Disabilities
The College will provide reasonable accommodation to students with disabilities in order to promote academic success. If you require accommodation, contact the Counselling and Accessibility Services Office at ext. 22900 to initiate the process for documenting, assessing and implementing your individual accommodation needs.

Camera Use and Recordings - Synchronous (Live) Classes
Synchronous (live) classes may be delivered in person, in a Flexible Learning space, or online through a Seneca web conferencing platform such as MS Teams or Zoom. Flexible Learning spaces are equipped with cameras, microphones, monitors and speakers that capture and stream instructor and student interactions, providing an in-person experience for students choosing to study online.

Students joining a live class online may be required to have a working camera in order to participate, or for certain activities (e.g. group work, assessments), and high-speed broadband access (e.g. Cable, DSL) is highly recommended. In the event students encounter circumstances that impact their ability to join the platform with their camera on, they should reach out to the professor to discuss. Live classes may be recorded and made available to students to support access to course content and promote student learning and success.

By attending live classes, students are consenting to the collection and use of their personal information for the purposes of administering the class and associated coursework. To learn more about Seneca's privacy practices, visit Privacy Notice.