About

Vision

We aim to provide leading university graduate and undergraduate programs contributing to the advancement of the quality of life for all children and families. We will lead the development of knowledge, research and advocacy in disciplines related to early childhood. 

Mission

The School of Early Childhood Studies offers a multidisciplinary program of study to undergraduate and graduate students. We prepare our students to adopt leadership roles in careers involving children and families in our diverse society. Our teaching, research, scholarship, and community service contribute new knowledge in the early childhood field — nationally and globally.

Goals

We strive to prepare our students to adopt leadership roles in careers involving children and their families. Our graduates demonstrate:

• The ability to integrate theory, conceptual understanding, professional  skills, and attitudes appropriate to working with children and families.
• Extensive knowledge of the social sciences and interdisciplinary subjects.
• An awareness of global issues in early childhood education and care, as well as in policy, social justice, diversity and inclusion.
• Effective communication skills in writing, advocacy and teamwork.
• Innovation and leadership in the fields of education, community services and health.

The School strives to help students meet these goals by providing an education that:

1. Is current and engaging
2. Is grounded in theory, research, policy, and practice
3. Considers the child and their family’s sociocultural context, community, society, and environment.
4. Offers a wide range of experiential learning opportunities through coursework and field placement experiences
5. Includes perspectives from across multiple disciplines
6. Is committed to equity, diversity, inclusion, social and ecological justice
7. Emphasizes effective practices in the field of Early Childhood Studies

The School of Early Childhood Studies is the oldest school of its kind in Canada. Since 1959, we have continually evolved to offer innovative new programming at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

A few highlights:

• 1959: Working within the Home Economics Department, we began to offer a two-year Diploma in Preschool Education.
• Mid-1960s: Based on the initial success of the program, we expanded our Preschool Education option into a three-year diploma.
• 1972: We broke new ground by initiating a four-year Bachelor of Applied Arts degree, the first of its kind in Canada.
• 1982: We introduced our Direct Entry program — allowing early childhood community college graduates to advance their knowledge and earn a Bachelor of Applied Arts — the first program of its kind in Canada.
• 2002: Our Bachelor of Applied Arts in Early Childhood Studies became a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Studies. This degree continues to be unique in Canada.
• 2006: This year, we launched our Master of Arts  — the only master’s degree of its kind in North America — acclaimed for producing graduates who fully understand issues related to diversity and inclusion.
• 2012: Recognizing the need for greater flexibility in course delivery, we began to offer online delivery for our part-time Bachelor of Arts.
• 2014: We launched an innovative program in collaboration with York University. Our Concurrent BA/BEd program — the first of its kind — allows students to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Studies as well as a Bachelor of Education, over a period of six years.                    

We are proud of our history. Over the years, we have consistently led the advancement of early childhood studies. We look forward to carrying this role forward into the future.

The development, health and well-being of children in our society are strongly influenced by the work of early childhood educators. These individuals support children’s learning and growth in the early years, and for life. Through practice, research and policy, early childhood educators work to enhance the quality of life for young children and their families.

Their responsibilities include:

• Planning curriculum that enhances children’s learning and growth.
• Enhancing children’s literacy and numeracy skills.
• Working inclusively with children with disabilities.
• Supporting young children and families from diverse backgrounds.
• Pursuing research and influencing policy.
• Supporting the healthy development of children at risk, through early intervention.

• Take advantage of five pathways for completing a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Studies. These options are open to high school graduates, college graduates and working professionals.
• As an undergraduate student, expect to spend one third of your program hours each year in over 1,000 placement sites across the Greater Toronto Area.
• Three internationally recognized learning laboratories —  the Toronto Metropolitan University Early Learning Centre, TMU EarlyON Child & Family Centre, and the TMU Childhood Resource Consultation Program (formerly Gerrard Resource Centre) — advance research, support families and enhance the inclusion of children with disabilities.
• The Master of Arts in Early Childhood Studies is unique in North America for its focus on diversity and inclusion.
• As an undergraduate student, learn from seven hands-on courses that cover curriculum development for young children in visual arts, music and movement, science, mathematics and literacy.
• Gain a global perspective. We have the most undergraduate students at Toronto Metropolitan University completing a senior internship abroad.
• Be part of a strong community. The School of Early Childhood Studies is home to just over 1,000 students.
• Learn from exceptional teachers and researchers. Our faculty members are experts in early childhood care and education, child development, family support and social policy, and equity and inclusion.
• Get to know your fellow students. Our student lounge space provides a relaxing environment in which to study and socialize.

We work with diverse stakeholders in Canada and around the world to create important learning, research and field placement opportunities for our students.

Student Exchange programs

International learning opportunities encourage undergraduate students to experience living and learning abroad — helping them to gain a global perspective. We partner with two universities in Australia to offer student exchange opportunities:

• University of South Australia (UNISA) (external link, opens in new window) 
• Curtin University of Technology (external link, opens in new window) 
  

Field Placements

Field education is a critical component to our undergraduate curriculum as it allows students to link theory with practice in a variety of early childhood settings. Our placement partners offer our students a wealth of learning opportunities not only within the Greater Toronto Area, but also across the country and around the world.

International Collaborations

We collaborate with the Early Childhood Development Initiative (ECDI) on research and student placements in Nigeria, challenging our students to make a difference.

The School of Early Childhood Studies strives to cultivate a culture inviting community members  to engage in critical reflective practice. In particular, we:  

• Recognize our commonalities and value difference and diversity.
• Question and evaluate the conventions, biases and expectations inherent in a variety of dominant cultural experiences.  
• Question notions of development that claim universality.
• Identify exclusion, inequality, equity and social justice.
• Support families from a diversity of backgrounds. This includes listening to families’ priorities and aspirations for their children, and adapting programs and curricula to facilitate their sense of belonging and success.
• We also recognize that it is essential that all students, staff, instructors and faculty members feel respected, safe and included in our School community.

As a School, we seek to promote and model social responsibility and social justice practices as they relate to a wide range of diversities while recognizing intersectionality, such as those pertaining to race (considering Indigenous, Black, and people of colour communities), ethnicity, nationality, language diversity, disability, family composition, sociodemographic status, sexual orientation, gender and religion/spiritual beliefs.

Our School is committed to the values of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) set out by the 2025–2030 TMU Academic Plan: TMU’s Vision for Academic Excellence and the Office of Equity and Community Inclusion. We urge our students, staff, faculty members and instructors to learn about how groups of people have been and continue to be discriminated against, how that affects every one of us, and how each of us could work to disrupt such thinking and practices. A good place to begin would be to read the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action (external link) , the Anti-Black Racism Campus Climate Review Report, review the online hub for 2SLGBTQ+ students, the final report from Justice Mary Lou Benotto that will inform the work of the President’s Implementation Task Force on Campus Expression, Antisemitism and Community Safety, and sign TMU’s Equity and Community Inclusion Pledge, among other initiatives and resources that are described on the Vice-President, Equity and Community Inclusion Office’s website.