Apply for certification

Level 1 ECE

To be certified for Level 1, you must complete one of the following:

• 45 hour (3 credits) post-secondary coursework related to child development
• Early Childhood Education Orientation Course (see below)
• CCS 3110, 3120, 3130, 3140 and 3150 (offered through Career and Technology Studies at Alberta high schools)
• Family Child Care Training Program through an approved Alberta Family Day Home agency registered with the Alberta Family Child Care Association
• ELCC coursework with outcomes that focus on diversity and Indigenous learnings, as approved by Education and Childcare

Level 2 ECE

To be certified for Level 2, you must complete:

• 1-year early learning and childcare certification program offered by an approved Alberta public college, private career college or university, or an approved educational equivalency

Level 3 ECE

To be certified for Level 3, you have complete:

• 2-year early learning and childcare diploma program offered by an approved Alberta public college, private career college or university or an approved educational equivalency

See Appendix D of the Certification Guide for a list of educational institutions offering approved early learning and childcare (ELCC) programs.

If you do not have education in early learning and childcare, you can refer to the educational credentials chart in Appendix B of the Certification Guide to determine if your education is recognized for certification.

The Early Childhood Education Orientation Course is for Alberta residents who do not have post-secondary educational studies in early learning and childcare.

This non-credit course is available online and meets the eligibility requirements to be a certified Level 1 ECE in Alberta. The course is funded by the Alberta government and is offered at no cost to participants. The course is available in both English and French.

To register for the course, applicants must be at least 16 years of age, and be a Canadian citizen, a Permanent Resident Card holder or a Work or Study Visa holder legally residing in Alberta.

• Registration is capped monthly for the general public, and registrants will be prioritized if they are already working, have proof of employment in a licensed childcare program, approved day home or are currently attending a high school in Alberta.
• Work permit conditions such as (but not limited to) those that state 'not eligible to work in childcare' mean that the person would not be eligible for the Early Childhood Education Orientation Course.
• If the person has a closed work permit working in a field unrelated to childcare, they are not eligible to take the course.

Suivez le cours en français

Le cours d’orientation en ligne sur la garde d’enfants est maintenant offert en français. Pour la version francaise de ce cours, veuillez visiter Cours d'orientation sur l'éducation de la petite enfance.

ECEs are required to follow the conduct requirements outlined in the Certification guide. ECEs must report any current or ongoing investigation, charge, court hearing, trial or conviction to the Government of Alberta, for any offences identified in Appendix A of the Certification Guide.

To meet conduct requirements, fill out and sign the Self-Disclosure Reporting Form, then submit the form to the Certification Office:

By mail:

Childcare Staff Certification Office
Education and Childcare
3rd Floor Forestry Building, 9920 108 Street
Edmonton, Alberta  T5K 2M4

By email: [email protected]

To complete the application process, you will need an Alberta.ca Account to sign in. If you do not already have one, all you need is an email address to create a basic account:

Create an Alberta.ca Account

An Alberta.ca account allows you to start an application, stop, and then come back to it later. If you are in the middle of an application, simply log back in to continue.

Once you have created your account, log into the online Early Childhood Educator Certification Application.

For Level 1, you will be asked to send copies of your educational transcripts or statement of marks verifying completion of one of the following:

• 45 hours (3 credits) post-secondary coursework related to child development
• Early Childhood Education Orientation Course
• CCS 3110, 3120, 3130, 3140 and 3150 (offered through Career and Technology Studies at Alberta high schools)
• Family Child Care Training Program through an approved Alberta Family Day Home agency registered with the Alberta Family Child Care Association
• ELCC coursework with outcomes that focus on diversity and Indigenous learnings, as approved by Education and Childcare

For levels 2 and 3, you must arrange for your official transcripts to be sent directly from your educational institution to the Childcare Staff Certification Office.

If your education was completed outside of Canada, refer to the Certification Guide to determine if you require a language proficiency assessment or other additional documents.

If you need help or have questions about using the ECE certification online application, call the Childcare Staff Certification Office at 1-800-661-9754 (in Alberta) or 780-422-1119 (outside of Alberta).

If you have a new approved educational credential, if you have completed additional requirements noted in your assessment results, or you believe your educational credential is eligible for a higher level of certification, you may request a reassessment by completing the following form:

• Request for Reassessment form

Include any additional information that might be useful for the reassessment, such as the new educational credential or proof of completing the additional requirements noted in your assessment results.

The completed request form and additional documents can be uploaded to the online portal by logging in to your Alberta.ca account. If you are unable to upload your documents, email them to [email protected].

If your credentials were obtained outside Alberta or under a different regulatory authority, they may be referred to the appropriate regulatory body for verification or assessment of equivalency.

If your certification status has been changed to ‘conditional’, ‘suspended’, or ‘cancelled’, you have the right to appeal the decision. Learn how this can be done through a formal appeal.