Outstanding career preparation
This program focuses on developing progressive leaders in early childhood education and care (ECEC) and child advocacy. You'll learn to design and manage an inclusive, positive, learning-centred environment, and you'll gain the critical thinking, business and interpersonal skills necessary to fulfill a leadership role and direct innovative practices in ECEC.

What you'll learn
Theories of human development.
Early childhood pedagogy and program models.
Curriculum design and implementation.
Roles and responsibilities of leaders in early childhood.
Research, analysis and evaluation.
Organizational structure and management.
Hands-on experience
In this program, you'll use technology and hands-on application in a curriculum room that emphasizes, encourages and fosters best practices in early learning based on current theoretical research. The program also includes a 14-week work-term internship and a field placement, totalling more than 600 hours.

Internships
The work term-internship may be completed in a variety of employment areas according to availability and interest.

You'll have the opportunity to find your own work-term internship, paid or unpaid, which may include international co-op positions. These may include, but are not limited to, licensed child-care centres, nursery schools, Ontario Early Years Centres, and various programs such as early education, Full Day Early Learning Kindergarten, family and community resources, parenting/prenatal and infant mental health, special needs programs as well as atypical placements such as an international placement in Hong Kong or elsewhere.

Students completing internships may be required to have up-to-date immunizations as well as a current, acceptable and valid police record (including a vulnerable sector check). This will depend on the internship site and if applicable, documentation should be provided directly to the Internship facilitator. Additionally, please note that at this time, many of our community partners are also requiring that students be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and students must follow the COVID-19 vaccination policy of the community site/organization they are attending. Students must adhere to all of Sheridan’s policies and the Student Code of Conduct whether in internship or in class (remote or in-class). Students who cannot meet these requirements may have limited internships opportunities, which may impact their progression in, or completion of, the program.

Explore your future classroom
As an Honours Bachelor of Early Childhood Education student you’ll work in labs designed to imitate the real-world workplace. Curious to see what that looks like? Take a virtual tour of our Early Childhood Education Lab.

When you complete the Early Childhood Leadership (ECL) bachelor’s degree, you'll be prepared to guide and lead curriculum and pedagogy in Ontario’s early childhood settings.

Here are some places you might work:

Before- and after-school programs
Child-care centres and programs
Early intervention services
Early learning/full-day kindergarten programs
Newcomer Programs
Ontario Early Years Centres and other family resource programs
Research Centres