Newfoundland and Labrador certifies child care workers through AECENL at five levels — Trainee and Levels 1 to 4 — from an orientation course up to a university degree, with a separate classification for the age group you work with.
Applies in: Newfoundland and Labrador
In Newfoundland and Labrador, you become a certified early childhood educator through Child Care Services Certification, run by the Association of Early Childhood Educators of Newfoundland and Labrador (AECENL) with the Department of Education. Anyone seeking employment in regulated child care must hold valid certification under the Child Care Services Regulations and the Child Care Services Act. Certification has two parts: a level, based on your post-secondary early childhood education, and a classification, based on the age group you work with.
The AECENL Child Care Services Certification Information Booklet sets out five levels:
Note that this is five levels, not four: the Trainee level sits below Level 1 and is the starting point for people without a post-secondary ECE credential.
A classification shows the age group or setting of regulated child care you are certified for:
You can receive more than one level or classification, depending on your education. Holding a certificate, diploma, or degree does not by itself allow you to work in a regulated setting — you must hold the certification for that setting.
Orientation courses are non-credit courses that introduce the principles of child care for a particular age group and setting: Preschool, Pre-kindergarten, School-Age, Infant, and Family Child Care. AECENL has provided them since 2000, along with certification, under funding from the provincial government. The Preschool Orientation Course is offered on a semester basis, six times a year. If you complete an orientation course after you are certified, it counts as 5 hours of professional learning. Other groups offering these courses must have prior approval from AECENL for the completion certificate to count — check with AECENL before enrolling with an outside group.
The initial application has three steps. First, get an Initial Application for Child Care Services Certification from the AECENL website under the Certification tab, or from the AECENL office. Second, complete all sections, including your original signature, and attach the documents the form asks for — an incomplete application will not be assessed and will be returned. Third, send the package to the registrar by mail, courier, or hand delivery. Faxed, emailed, or photocopied applications are not accepted and will be returned.
The registrar assesses the package and the certificate is approved by the provincial director of the early learning and child development division. If the assessment finds you need an orientation course to receive a classification or level, that is communicated in a status letter. Trainee applicants must also submit proof of registration in a provincially recognized post-secondary ECE program before the certificate can be issued.
Initial certificates run for 1 year at Trainee level and 3 years at Levels 1 to 4, effective from the first day of the calendar month in which AECENL receives an eligible and complete application package. Renewal requires proof of professional learning completed within the certification period.
Certification expires, so plan renewal early: AECENL recommends submitting your renewal package 30 to 60 days before expiry, and renewal certificates are not backdated. For Levels 1 to 4, the certificate runs three years, and renewal needs 30 hours of professional learning if you submit before the expiry date — 36 hours if you submit in the expiry month, plus one extra hour for every month lapsed, to a maximum of 60 hours. If you have lapsed and do not have the hours, you may be eligible for the Refresher Course instead; it can be used only once per file, and the renewal it earns runs 1.5 to 3 years depending on how many professional learning hours you submit with it. Trainee certification in a child care centre runs one year with a maximum of six renewals: renew by completing at least two ECE courses from a recognized post-secondary institution each year (up to four renewals that way), or, where courses are not available, with 12 hours of professional learning and proof you are accepted into or waitlisted for an ECE program (up to two renewals that way).
The opened booklet does not publish an application fee for initial certification, so this guide states none. The renewal hours above are verified from AECENL's renewal guide — see "Keeping your certification current (renewal)". The booklet also does not name the approved post-secondary ECE programs — check with AECENL or the Department of Education for the current list.
Yes. Under the Child Care Services Regulations and the Child Care Services Act, anyone seeking employment in regulated child care must hold valid Child Care Services Certification. Certification is recognition of your education and training in early childhood learning and care.
There are five levels: Trainee, for applicants without a recognized post-secondary credential in early childhood education; Level 1, a provincially approved one-year ECE certificate; Level 2, a provincially approved two-year ECE diploma; Level 3, a three-year ECE diploma, a two-year diploma plus a one-year post-diploma specialization, or a one-year ECE certificate plus a recognized university degree; and Level 4, a university degree in early childhood education, or a two-year ECE certificate plus a recognized university degree.
The level is based on how much post-secondary early childhood education you hold. The classification is based on the age group or setting you work with: Infant (birth to 24 months), Preschool (age 2 to school entry), School-Age (school entry to age 12), or Mixed age in a family child care setting (birth to 12). You can hold more than one level or classification.
Orientation courses are non-credit courses that give a basic introduction to child care for a particular age group — Preschool, Pre-kindergarten, School-Age, Infant, and Family Child Care. Applicants without formal post-secondary training in early childhood education may need to complete one to reach Trainee level, and must also show proof of enrolment in a recognized ECE program.
Get the Initial Application from the AECENL website under the Certification tab or from the AECENL office, complete every section with your original signature, attach the documents the form asks for, and send the package to the registrar by mail, courier, or hand delivery. Faxed, emailed, or photocopied applications are not accepted and will be returned.
Initial certificates are issued for 1 year at Trainee level and for 3 years at Levels 1, 2, 3, and 4. The effective date is the first day of the calendar month in which AECENL receives an eligible and complete application package. Renewal requires proof of professional learning completed within the certification period.