Apply for early childhood educator certification

To apply for certification as an early childhood educator in the Yukon:

1. Download and complete an application form.

2. If you completed your post-secondary education in Canada, have the educational institution send transcripts directly to Early Learning and Child Care branch at earlylearning@yukon.ca   

   If you completed post-secondary education outside of Canada, you require a comprehensive educational credential assessment (ECA). The comprehensive ECA evaluation includes program of study, course titles and their converted credit value. The comprehensive ECA document must be from a recognized Canadian credentialing agency. Find a list of accepted credentialing agencies.  

3. Submit your application form, proof of Yukon residency, and if the name on your educational transcript(s) or ECA document is different from your current legal name, provide proof of name change. We'll assess your application and may also ask you to submit your course syllabus to help us with our assessment. 

   Proof of Yukon residency is required to receive an ECE certificate. If you're residing outside the Yukon, you'll receive the outcome of your assessment through email or standard letter. You'll be issued with a certificate when you submit your proof of Yukon residency.    

Mail:

Government of Yukon
Early Learning and Child Care Branch (E-23)
Box 2703
Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 2C6

Your assessment results

We'll send you a letter or email with our assessment result within 20 working days of the date you submitted your completed application and all required documents.  

If you are not in the Yukon

If you are not a Yukon resident and are planning to work in a licensed Yukon early learning and child care program, we'll review your application and provide you with results of the review. We will not issue you with a certificate until you provide proof of Yukon residency. 

There are 5 levels of certification.

What you need for each level 

Level 1

• 60 hours of post-secondary coursework in early childhood development; or
• Yukon First Nations Education Directorate Understanding the Early Years course; or
• the equivalent  

Level 1a

• A minimum of 45 hours in the health and social science stream
• A minimum of 60 hours in the child development stream
• A minimum of 45 hours in the professional practice in early learning and child care stream
• A minimum of 45 hours in the methods stream
• A minimum of 135 hours in the field placement stream (1 field placement, 1 seminar)

Level 2

• A minimum of 45 hours in the health and social science stream
• A minimum of 90 hours in the child development stream
• A minimum of 45 hours in the professional practice in early learning and child care stream
• A minimum of 90 hours in the methods stream
• A minimum of 45 hours in the communication stream
• A minimum of 390 hours in the field placement stream (1 field placement, 1 seminar)

Level 2a

• A minimum of 90 hours in the health stream
• A minimum of 135 hours in the child development stream
• A minimum of 90 hours in the professional practice in early learning and child care stream
• A minimum of 135 hours in the methods stream
• A minimum of 45 hours in the communication stream
• A minimum of 645 hours in the field placement stream (1 field placement, 1 seminar)

Level 3

• A 2-year early learning and child care diploma
• A 2-year early childhood development diploma; or
• Completion of 2 years or more of equivalent post-secondary education satisfying all the requirements below:
  • A minimum of 90 hours in the health and social science stream
  • A minimum of 180 hours in the child development stream
  • A minimum of 180 hours in the professional practice in early learning and child care stream
  • A minimum of 180 hours in the methods stream
  • A minimum of 45 hours in the communication stream
  • A minimum of 600 hours in the field placement stream

Coursework we'll consider

Coursework we may consider as equivalent for these levels must:

• be credited coursework from a recognized post-secondary educational institute; and
• correspond with coursework outlined on page 4 of the Early Learning and Child Care Professional Level Certification Guidelines (schedule A).

Yukon University coursework

We accept early learning coursework from Yukon University.

Talk to us about your training plans

If you're interested in pursuing training from other educational programs, contact us to find out whether we'll recognize the educational program for early childhood educator certification. 

Continuous learning

We recommend that certified early childhood educators continue to enrol in workshops, courses and conferences as part of your professional development.

To find learning and development opportunities online, visit the Early Learning Educators web hub.

We'll consider the following areas of education for level certification.

Early childhood certificate and diplomas

• A completed certificate in early childhood education or early childhood development may be considered for a level 2
• A completed diploma in early childhood education or early childhood development may be considered for a level 3

Montessori

• An Association Montessori International Diploma or Toronto Montessori Institute Diploma may be equivalent to a level 2

Related diploma and degree programs

Courses done in related diploma or degree programs typically include courses from post-secondary education with a human services or education focus. Refer to Early Learning and Child Care Professional Level Certification Guidelines.  

How to maintain your level 3 equivalent certification

If you currently have a valid early childhood educator level 3 equivalent certificate and would like to maintain your certification the following is required: 

• During the 1-year period that your certification is valid you must complete a minimum 30-hour post-secondary accredited early childhood development course to maintain your level 3 certification.
• You must:
  • re-apply for your certification before it expires; and
  • provide proof that you've successfully completed your early childhood development coursework.
• If you meet the requirements, we'll give you certification for 1 additional year.
• If you do not meet the requirements prior to the expiration date on your level 3 certificate, your level 3 certification is no longer valid.

If you're currently holding a valid level 3 equivalent certificate, you're welcome to contact the Early Learning and Child Care branch to receive support in determining an individualized pathway to full certification.

We are not able to evaluate degree or diploma programs in countries other than Canada.

We may be able to consider programs that an accredited post-secondary institution accepts as equivalent to our certification requirements.

Get your coursework assessed

You can submit your coursework to a recognized Canadian credentialling agency to assess what it's equivalent to within Canada. We may then be able to assess the credentialling report you receive.

Find out about getting your qualifications assessed if you're a foreign worker.