Canada - Alberta - post

ChildCareEd offers valuable training that can be used as part of voluntary child care training in Alberta. However, to meet provincial certification requirements, individuals must follow the steps mandated by the Early Learning and Child Care Act.

To become a certified child care provider in Alberta, individuals must meet the certification requirements established by the Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) Act. 

Certification Levels

Alberta offers three levels of certification for child care providers:

1. Level 1 Early Childhood Educator (ECE) – Requires completing a 45-hour (3-credit) post-secondary course related to child development, such as the Alberta Child Care Orientation Course, which is available online and at no cost.
2. Level 2 ECE – Requires a 1-year ELCC certificate from an Alberta post-secondary institution or an approved educational equivalency.
3. Level 3 ECE – Requires a 2-year ELCC diploma from an Alberta post-secondary institution or an approved educational equivalency.

Providers must obtain certification within six months of employment and cannot be left unsupervised with children until certified​.

Facility-based programs must have a Level 3 certified program supervisor on-site at all times, while family day home educators must obtain at least Level 1 certification. Agency staff responsible for monitoring compliance must have a minimum of Level 2 certification and a valid first aid certificate.

Providers can utilize ChildCareEd's courses to complement their training and enhance their qualifications while ensuring compliance with Alberta’s certification requirements.

Please contact your local child care licensing office to confirm all requirements as standards are subject to change:  

Alberta Child Care Staff Certification Office:

Hours: 8:15 am to 4:30 pm (open Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)
Toll free: 1-800-661-9754
Email: cs.staffcertification@gov.ab.ca

Administrators! Are you looking to purchase hours for your staff? ChildCareEd offers the Group Admin Program and Subscription Services, which make it easy and affordable to make group purchases.

Group Admin Program

The Group Admin Program allows you to purchase clock hours at a flat price and then assign classes to staff members. This gives you control over your budget and training plan. Purchase hours for staff to ensure they complete their training requirements.

Use our Group Admin Feature and receive the following benefits:

• Record-keeping tools to manage continuing education requirements
• Group Administrators can see their staff's progress in assigned courses as well as test scores
• Purchase bulk hours with discounted Subscription Services
• Refunded hours if staff leave and do not finish courses
• Add or remove staff as needed
• Assign training to individuals or the entire team
• Print administrator copies of certificates

Subscription Services

With Subscription Services, you can purchase training hours at a low one-time cost. There are three tiers to choose from, depending on your needs:

• Basic: Unlimited online training
• Plus: Unlimited online training plus online CDA training courses
• Instructor-Led: Unlimited online training, plus all CDA online training courses, and one Virtual Class each month led by a trained Educational Specialist

To view the course selection available for each of our subscription services, please click on View Courses List under each here: https://www.childcareed.com/subscriptions.html.