Student Experience
Project-based learning
The Early Childhood Education program at Algonquin College requires students to plan activities for young children that will help develop their intellectual skills and behaviours as they learn their first life lessons. These projects may focus on various aspects, including developing curriculum for learning activities, creating safe and age-appropriate toys, designing daycare floor plans to ensure a safe environment for children, developing projects to teach healthy eating and the importance of nutrition for young children, and more.
Professional Pay For Professional Work
Students use the Professional Educator course to develop their professional and personal philosophies in both theory and practice as they prepare to enter the field. The provincial Professional Pay for Professional Work campaign has been a topic of presentations where students research professional trends, issues and outcomes and discuss their findings with local school board reps and community members. It is a powerful opportunity for growth in our students’ final semester.
Applied Research
Our Early Childhood Education program is dedicated to providing students with community-based learning opportunities through various health and social services research projects that benefit both the student experience and the community. Below is a list of some of the more recent initiatives:
Creativity Lab – Early Childhood Education
The Creativity Lab provides first-level Early Childhood Education (ECE) students with the opportunity to further develop their knowledge and skills in the ECE field, ultimately supporting them in becoming successful educators of young children. This method allows students to facilitate creative experiences for preschool children in a “lab” environment that promotes their active engagement. There is also a focus on organizing and implementing a learning environment that nurtures and fosters creativity in children. These experiences are beneficial in two ways: they provide students with firsthand knowledge through demonstration and observation, and offer free creative play sessions for young children.
Green Works – A Schoolyard Greening (SYG) Project
Current research supports that time spent outdoors with natural elements decreases stress in children and provides limitless learning opportunities (Hendrick & Weissman, 2014). In November 2014, our Health and Community Studies department launched Green Works, a schoolyard greening design initiative aimed at providing students with more natural play spaces that encourage creative play, stimulate learning, and promote health and wellness among children. Green Works stemmed from work already being done by two local organizations: KidActive and the Shaw Woods Outdoor Education Centre. Both organizations provided guidance and support throughout Phase I of Green Works.
For 2014/2015, Green Works partnered with two schools located in Renfrew County: Rockwood Public School and St. Andrew’s Catholic School. Waterfront Campus students from the Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Early Childhood Education, Business, Outdoor Adventure Naturalist, and the Environmental Technician programs hosted workshops with students from Kindergarten to Grade 8. These workshops provided students with the opportunity to express in fun and creative ways the types of features they would like to see in their schoolyards. Waterfront Campus students compiled the information from the workshops and conducted complementary research in landscaping, risk management, and investigated current theories surrounding the importance of natural play spaces, ecological literacy, and the significance of ‘nature deficit disorder’, a term coined by author Richard Louv. Based on this information, our students designed a re-naturalized landscape for each schoolyard to implement in the coming year.
We hope that for Phase II of the project, the Waterfront Campus will participate in implementing these natural play spaces.
A variety of job options
Graduates of the Early Childhood Education program can work in a variety of settings, including elementary schools, private and public daycare centers, early years centers, and healthcare facilities. Within schools, they work side by side with teachers, providing support for children who are experiencing learning or behavioural issues. With the government placing a greater emphasis on the importance of Early Childhood Education within the school system, there are many new and exciting opportunities available for our graduates.