Purpose and Mandate

What the College does

The College of Early Childhood Educators is a self-regulatory body. The provincial government, through the Early Childhood Educators Act, 2007 (the Act), has given the profession of early childhood education the privilege and responsibility of regulating itself in the public interest. The College, by law, is authorized to set qualifications and requirements for those who wish to work as early childhood educators (ECEs) and register those who meet them.

Members of the College are held accountable to practise in accordance with the Act, regulations and by-laws. The by-laws prescribe a set of ethical and professional standards, which the Council of the College approved as the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice in a by-law of the College on December 1, 2010. The by-law came into force on February 28, 2011. Members will be held accountable to the Code of Ethics and the Standards of Practice on the effective date. This provides the public with confidence that individuals practising the profession of early childhood education are qualified and do so competently and ethically. The College maintains a public register of its members, so that at any time an employer, parent or member of the general public can look up a person working as an early childhood educator to confirm he or she is registered with the College. If a member has a term, condition or limitation placed on his or her certificate of registration, that information is available on the public register.

In the event that the competence or professional conduct of a member of the College is called into question, the College has a fair legal process by which it investigates the complaint and, if necessary, refers the matter for a discipline hearing.

All of these roles of the College exist to protect the public interest. The existence of a self-regulatory body for ECEs ensures accountability in the profession and provides for safe, ethical and professional practice of early childhood educators across Ontario.

Regulation & Advocacy

Understanding the College’s mandate and how it differs from organizations that advocate for early childhood educators.

In order to better understand what the College does and does not do as part of its mandate, the chart below compares the purpose and work of the College to that of advocacy organizations, like a professional association.

	Regulation The College of Early Childhood Educators	Advocacy Professional associations, non-profit organizations that advocate for specific causes (e.g. AECEO, Aféseo)
Primary mandate	Protecting the public	Promoting and supporting the economic and professional interests of the profession’s members
How the mandate is implemented	The Early Childhood Educators Act, 2007, sets out how the College regulates the profession in the public interest. The College must: • develop, establish and maintain qualifications for membership • issue Certificates of Registration to members and renew, amend, suspend, cancel, revoke and reinstate those certificates • establish an appeal mechanism for registration decisions • establish and enforce ethical and professional standards standards that are applicable to members • receive and investigate complaints against members and deal with issues of discipline, professional misconduct, incompetency and incapacity • promote high standards and quality assurance with respect to ECEs and communicate with the public on behalf of the members	Professional associations and advocacy groups promote the interests of the profession’s members by: • raising awareness about the role of its members and the value of their work • advocating to government and policy makers on behalf of the profession • advocating on behalf of members on professional issues such as wages and working conditions • providing members with professional services • disseminating research, educational resources and topical information about early learning and care to members, the public, governments and other related professionals
Funding	The work of the College is funded by its members through annual membership fees.	The work of professional organizations and other advocacy and public awareness groups is funded by members and through other sources such as project funding and grants.
What members receive	Only members of the College are legally permitted to work as ECEs in Ontario, with limited exceptions. Members have exclusive use of the protected titles “ECE”, “RECE”, “EPE” and “EPEI”. Registered members receive a membership card and wall certificate, and their name on the College’s public register verifies their registrations status. Members also receive a copy of the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, various other communications and the opportunity to run for election or sit on a committee.	Membership in a professional association or advocacy group supports work to promote public awareness of and respect for the profession. Members receive professional development, networking and leadership opportunities and are kept abreast of information about the issues and policies impacting the profession.