Education Assistant
About
Interested in a career working with children? Education Assistants who support students with diverse abilities are in demand!
What You'll Learn
- Balanced mix of theory and practical experience about best ways to support children and youth with special needs in the school setting.
- Get ready to excel in inclusive classrooms.
- Opportunity to become a competent and employable paraprofessional.
- Receive hands-on experience alongside teachers and teams supporting students with disabilities.
Program Options
To become an Education Assistant first choose between the eight-month full-time or the six-semester evenings-and-weekends part-time certificate program options. Both streams include two extended practicum experiences in local schools.
The full-time program option is eight-months, in-person, so you can be job-ready in less than a year.
Coordinated Diploma
You can choose to upgrade your certificate to a diploma - this is called a "coordinated diploma."
To receive an Education Assistant Diploma, you must first choose either the full-time, or the part-time Education Assistant Certificate program. Then you can choose to upgrade your certificate to a diploma by completing an additional 30 university transfer credits either before or after you complete your certificate requirements.
You can choose to start your program in January or May by taking 15 credits in each or either of those terms, then continue in September in the Education Assistant (EDAS) Certificate program. Or you can complete the EDAS program first, then continue to take 30 more credits in total to receive the coordinated diploma.
Practicums
Both the part-time and full-time programs include two practicums, arranged by Langara EDAS supervisors, which take place usually in the months of November and April. One practicum will be in an elementary school and the other one will be in middle school or secondary school.
Practicums are in-person, and run five days a week for four weeks. They may start as early as 8 am and end as late as 3:30 pm. Depending on the district, practicum hours differ. The majority of practicums are approximately 140 hours. The minimum is 120 hours. For two practicums, you will receive between 240 and 280 hours of practicum experience.
