Level 3 is issued to:

• A person who has completed a two-year ECE diploma program offered by an Alberta public college, or an equivalent level of training. Please refer to Private Vocation Schools - Licensed ECE Programs for Certification (in Alberta) and Alberta Public Colleges - Early Childhood Programs for Level 2 & 3 certification.
• A person who has completed a 4-year Bachelor of Education Degree with a major in ECE from a recognized post-secondary institution.

Level 2 is issued to:

• A person who has completed a one-year ECE certificate program offered by an Alberta public college, or an equivalent level of training. Please refer to Private Vocation Schools - Licensed ECE Programs for Certification (in Alberta) and Alberta Public Colleges - Early Childhood Programs for Level 2 & 3 certification.
• A person who has completed a four-year Bachelor of Elementary Education from a recognized post-secondary institution.

Level 1 is issued to:

• A person who has completed the government's Orientation Course or equivalent course work of 50-hours or more that is related to the field of ECE. Please refer to Private Vocation Schools - Licensed ECE Programs for Certification (in Alberta) and Alberta Public Colleges.

Note: Exemptions are available for staff who are registered and taking ECE course work towards that level as per the Day Care Regulation (34).

WHAT ARE THE TRAINING REQUIREMENTS?

• Day Care Regulation 27 requires all program directors to hold a Level 3 certification or exemption.
• Day Care Regulation 28(1) requires a staff member with a Level 2 or 3 certificate or exemption to be designated to act as the Alternate Program Director to supervise the operation of the day care centre when the program director is off-site.
• Day Care Regulation 29 requires one of every four primary staff to hold at least Level 2 certification or an exemption in place between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
• All other primary staff must hold Level 1 certification or exemption at all times. Please refer to the Day Care Regulation for more specific information.
  

APPLYING FOR CERTIFICATION

To be eligible to work in a day care centre in Alberta, all staff must have a registration number issued to them upon completion of an Application for Certification and submission of it to DCSQ office. An application form is available by clicking .

SECTION A: APPLICANT INFORMATION

• Please be sure to include your date of birth. This information is needed to help us identify between applicants who have the same name. As well, your birthdate will be used as a personal identifier in order for you to be able to access information about your staff qualification file over the telephone.
• Let us know as soon as possible if you move or change your name in order to keep our files up-to-date. Please mail or fax this information to our office (see the top part of this website for contact information).

SECTION B: EDUCATION AND COURSE WORK COMPLETED

• List all completed educational training, primary/secondary, post-secondary courses, certificates, diplomas or degrees. Provide the name and location (city/town, province, and country, if outside Canada) of each of the educational institutions you attended. Also include the number of years that you attended each educational institution.

SECTION C: OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS

• Send an official transcript (not a photocopy or a faxed copy) for each completed course or program listed above.
• Transcripts may be attached to the application form or sent to us directly by the institution.

SECTION D: DECLARATION

• You must sign (in ink) and date your application form.
• By signing the application form, you are stating that the information you provided is true and accurate and the attached documents are authentic.
• Your Qualifications Certificate will be cancelled if it was issued based on false information.
• Your signature authorizes the DCSQ office to contact the educational institution(s) (if necessary) you attended about your credentials.

Please note that the application form provided on our Website will need to be printed, completed, signed and dated and can then be mailed or faxed to our office.