Student and young child sit at table smiling at camera.

Child Care Assistant (CCA)

Overview

In Manitoba, it's a requirement for Child Care Assistants (CCAs) and licensed home-based child care providers to complete a 40-hour early childhood education course within their first year of employment.

Assiniboine is now offering several new and accelerated options for one of the CCA-accredited courses - the Overview of Early Childhood. This is made possible by a recent investment from both the Province of Manitoba and the Government of Canada.

This initiative from Assiniboine will provide new CCAs and licensed home-based childcare providers with a faster and more efficient means of obtaining their required certification. The Overview of Early Childhood course is a vital component in helping new professionals develop an understanding of the foundational concepts and principles of early childhood education. This is critical as they start working with children and families.

By partnering with the government, Assiniboine is making early childhood education more accessible to individuals in Manitoba who want to pursue a career in child care. This investment demonstrates the government's commitment to providing quality early childhood education services to the community and preparing individuals for this important field.

Admissions

​​​​​There are no admission requirements.

Next step

The application process can be completed online. There is no application fee required for this program.

Apply Now!

Careers & Connections

Careers

Child Care Assistants can be employed by all childcare and education facilities in Manitoba.

Connections

The Overview of Childcare course, with Curriculum Planning 1, is eligible for a transfer of credit into the Early Childhood Education program with a grade of 66 (C+) or higher. 

Tools & Supplies

All course material is provided.

 

Courses & Costs

The Overview of Early Childhood course provides an overview of the field of early childhood education. Students are introduced to a variety of early childhood settings directly through five days of practical experience and indirectly through coursework. Comparisons are made of routines, schedules, activities and the role of staff within the settings. Influences on early childhood education outside of the setting are identified and described. 

Assiniboine offers two additional CCA-accredited courses, Curriculum Planning 1 (ECED-0053) and Health Nutrition & Safety 1 (ECED-0055), in a distance delivery format. To register, visit Instant Enrolment.

Locations

Permanent Location

Assiniboine has one permanent site in the province that offers the Child Care Assistant course, Overview of Early Childhood, monthly.

The following intakes are announced for 2023-24:

Victoria Avenue East campus | Brandon
  • Start: October 10, November 7, December 2, January 9, February 6, March 5, April 9, May 7, or June 4
  • Three weeks | Tuesdays & Thursdays (6 to 9 p.m.) and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Rural Rotating Sites

In addition to our permanent offering in Brandon, Assiniboine offers in-community training known as rural rotating sites. These offerings rotate throughout the province monthly.

Assiniboine has the following rural rotating training sites announced, with more to come.

Dauphin
  • Start: October 10, 2023
  • Three weeks | Tuesdays & Thursdays (6 to 9 p.m.) and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Additional locations will be announced in the coming weeks.

Online

  • First of every month*
  • Up to four months to complete
  • To register, visit our Instant Enrolment and enter 'ECED-0054' in the 'Course Code Number' field

*You must be registered by the 20th of the month prior to the course's start date. For example, courses with an April 1 start date require you to register prior to March 20.

Fast Facts

Length
Various - see locations tab
Program Start
Various - see locations tab
Credential
Course/Workshop/Seminar
Credits
3
Course Load
Part-time
Program Details
Available by Distance
On Campus
School of Health & Human Services
204.725.8730
1.800.862.6307 ext 6228 (toll free)
Locations