Early Childhood Educator Assistant

Early childhood educator (ECE) assistants work with children in child care and school settings.

NOC Code: 4214

Job Duties

Early childhood educator (ECE) assistants work with children in child care and school settings. You may work for public daycare centers or community centers. Other employers include large private businesses, religious organizations, hospitals and family resource centres. You may also be self-employed and operate a home-based daycare. People often say "ECE assistant" when talking about this job. You may also be called an early childhood assistant, daycare worker, child care worker or preschool teacher.  

Generally, ECE assistants:

  • Lead young children's activities, tell stories, teach songs and prepare craft materials.
  • Prepare and serve snacks.
  • Help children eat, dress and use the toilet.
  • Write down observations about the children in class for your supervisors.
  • Discuss children's progress and challenges at staff meetings.
  • Help supervisors keep records.
  • Maintain and clean daycare equipment.

Source: HRSDC

Job Requirements

Education

This job requires: College or University

Comparison with other jobs in this profession
JobLevel of Education Required
Employment CounsellorCollege or University
Community WorkerCollege or University
Early Childhood Educator AssistantCollege or University
Program CoordinatorCollege or University
Settlement WorkerCollege or University

Experience

This job requires 0 - 2 years of work experience.

Comparison with other jobs in this profession
JobYears of Work Experience Required
Employment Counsellor0 - 2
Community Worker0 - 2
Early Childhood Educator Assistant0 - 2
Program Coordinator0 - 2
Settlement Worker0 - 2

Source: HRSDC

Essential Skills

As an ECE assistant, you need to:

  • Speak, read and write English.
  • Be organized and plan curriculum.
  • Know about child development, health, safety and nutrition.
  • Play and talk with children, and comfort them when necessary.

For some jobs, you may need education or experience in:

  • Caring for children with special needs (physical and/or intellectual disabilities).
  • Child abuse theory.
  • Emergency first aid, CPR training and/or crisis intervention.
  • Art and crafts.

Source: Ontario Skills Passport

Language Skills

You need to communicate in person with children, parents and co-workers. You need to read books in English to children and teach them basic reading and writing skills. You need to keep notes of your observations about children. It can be helpful to know 2 or more languages.

Labour Market Information

Trends

Overall, this occupation experienced gradual growth in the past decade. Early childhood educators are regulated in Ontario, leading to some barriers to entry into the profession and limiting the number of eligible applicants. Early childhood assistants are not regulated and may not face the same constraints, although some employers might prefer licensed ECEs.

Prospects

The work prospects for this job are: GOOD

Comparison with other jobs in this profession
JobWork Prospects
Employment CounsellorFair
Community WorkerGood
Early Childhood Educator AssistantGood
Program CoordinatorGood
Settlement WorkerGood

Wages

The average hourly wage for this job is: C$16.41/hour.

Comparison with other jobs in this profession
JobAverage Wage/Hour
Employment Counsellor$25.00
Community Worker$21.75
Early Childhood Educator Assistant$16.41
Program Coordinator$21.75
Settlement Worker$21.75

Source: HRSDC

Retraining

Educational Programs

These links will give you a list of related educational programs or where you can search for them. There may be other schools that have similar programs, such as private career colleges. You may be able to get advanced standing.

Bridging Programs

Here is a list of some bridging programs. These programs can help you assess your education and skills, get practical training or improve your language skills so that you can work in your field.

Language Training

Here is an example of a language training program:

Work Experience Programs

Many college programs and bridging programs in this field include co-operative (co-op) work experience.

Voluntary Membership Opportunities

Helpful Links

The data in this profile is provided for informational purposes only. Some of the information may have changed since this profile was written. Please check the source for the most up-to-date information.