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Early Childhood Education

Centre for Continuing and Online Learning

Algonquin College

Local Students: Placement Package

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Introduction pg 2

Local Placement Procedures pg 4

ParaMed Clearance pg 7

Contact Us pg 10

Frequently Asked Questions pg 11

Table of Contents

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General Information There are three block placements required for the ECE online program. They are offered in levels 2, 3

and 4 of the program and require a commitment of 4, 4 and 5 weeks on predetermined schedules; the

placement dates are not negotiable. All placements require full-time working hours Monday to Friday

following the same daily schedule as the onsite supervisor. Students will need to be fully available

throughout this time; exceptions will not be made for childcare, employment or other personal

obligations.

In order to be eligible for practice teaching field placements, students must meet the following

requirements prior to the placement deadline:

1. Academic Clearance: students must complete all required prerequisite courses prior to the

placement start date. This is confirmed by the Field Placement Officer after the placement

deadline.

2. ParaMed Clearance: the ECE program requires students to meet the following medical and non-

medical requirements. Upon completion, these requirements must be confirmed through

ParaMed, our partner organization.

a. Immunization Records

b. Police Records Check for Service with the Vulnerable Sector (PRCSVS)

c. Standard First Aid/CPR C

3. ECE Placement Request Form: must be submitted prior to the placement deadline to ensure

students are added to the master placement list. This form is completed entirely online in just a

few minutes, and a new form is required for each placement.

Placement Deadlines Students are required to verify that their documentation is up to date prior to each placement. All

documentation must be valid for the duration of each placement and must not expire before the final

placement day.

Placement Date Placement Deadline

Fall Term (Sep-Dec)

Placement I: September June 15

Placement II and III: November to December

September 15

Winter Term (Jan-Apr)

Placement I: January November 15

Placement II and III: March to April January 15

Spring/Summer Term

(May-Aug)

Placement I: May March 15

Placement II and III: July to August May 15

Note: spring and summer are often used interchangeably to refer to the May-August term.

Introduction

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Important Note Completing the documentation can be a complicated process and students should start the preparations

now! It may take 8 – 12 weeks to complete all placement requirements. If your documentation is not

complete and/or you are not cleared for placement by the program deadline, you will have to wait for

the following term before you can register again. There are no exceptions. This can delay your

progression in completing your program and may result in you incurring additional fees.

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Local students are defined as students located within 60 km of Algonquin College Woodroffe campus,

completing their placements in the Ottawa region. Students living on the borderline of this area may

choose to identify themselves as local and will be placed with partner agencies within the local

boundaries; or non-local and should follow the placement procedures outlined in the Non-Local

Students Placement Package.

Please note: all local students receive placement confirmations at the same time, approximately 2-3

weeks prior to the placement start date. Only students who have both academic and ParaMed

clearance by the placement deadline will be considered for placement.

Placement Confirmation Process 1. Students submit their online ECE Placement Request Form on or before the indicated placement

deadline.

Note: students are not permitted to contact placement agencies in an attempt to arrange

placement. Placements are assigned by the Field Placement Officer as indicated below.

2. Placements are assigned with partner agencies in the local region based on:

a. Priority: Students are assigned placement centres once the placement due date closes.

Students who submit their documentation on time are given equal consideration for

placement agencies.

i. Students submitting documentation after the placement deadline without Field

Placement Officer approval may not be able to attend placement in their

preferred term.

b. Location: While every attempt is made to provide students with a placement close to a

preferred area, this is not always possible. Students may be required to travel up to 90

minutes to reach their practice teaching field placement.

i. Students submitting documentation after the placement deadline without Field

Placement Officer approval may be placed at a centre that is still available at

that time; availability will take priority over location in these cases.

c. Conflict of interest: Students are required to identify any agencies they have experience

with and will not be considered for placements at these locations. Examples of conflicts

include, but are not limited to:

i. The student has worked, volunteered or been previously placed at the agency.

ii. The student has children attending the agency.

iii. The student has a personal relationship with the agency staff.

d. Age group: While every attempt is made to provide students with placement

opportunities in three different age groups, this is not always possible. Students are not

able to request a preferred age group, but will identify age groups that they have

experience with to attempt to avoid additional placements in the same age group when

possible.

Local Placement Procedures

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3. Students receive confirmation of placement agencies 2-3 weeks prior to their placement start

dates. Students have two business days to appeal their location if there are concerns of a

serious nature.

Appealing Placement Location 1. Appeals must be brought forward within two business days of receiving placement agency

confirmation.

2. A student may appeal an agency assignment if:

a. The travel time is over 90 minutes one way.

b. There is a conflict of interest with the agency:

i. The student has worked, volunteered or been previously placed at the agency.

ii. The student has children attending the agency.

iii. The student has a personal relationship with the agency staff.

Only serious concerns as defined above may result in a change in placement location. If students cannot

complete placements as assigned, they will be required to take placement at a later date and this may

result in the student incurring additional fees.

Placement Procedures Placement procedures are outlined in the placement manual. Students will complete a preplacement

visit, follow the weekly expectations and competencies as defined in the placement manual, and

conduct midterm and final evaluations with the onsite supervisor.

The Algonquin College Field Liaison (FL) will conduct 2-3 onsite visits of approximately 1 hour each

throughout the placement. The FL will also be available to assess submitted materials through

Brightspace, and touch base with students and agencies by email throughout the placement. The FL will

be connected with students in the week prior to placement start and will be the first point of contact for

any placement related questions once placement begins.

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Placement Roles

Placement Registration Full-time students will be registered for practice teaching placement and field seminar automatically.

Part-time students will be provided with next steps to register after the placement deadline has passed

if they have submitted the ECE Placement Request Form and both academic and ParaMed clearance are

confirmed. Registration does not guarantee placement; part-time students must have Field Placement

Officer permission to register for all placement and seminar courses. Students will be withdrawn if

placement requirements are not met by the placement deadline.

•Prior to the placement deadline:

•Submit the online ECE Placement Request Form

•Meet with and clear ParaMed

Student

•Contact partner agencies in the Ottawa area to confirm student placements

•Contact students to confirm details 2-3 weeks prior to placement start

Field Placement Officer

•Provide support to the student onsite and via email and Brightspace throughout placement

•Oversee midterm and final evaluations with the student and agency

Field Liaison

•Oversee and provide feedback on all student activity onsite

•Complete weekly meetings to review progress

•Complete student's midterm and final evaluation

Onsite Supervisor

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ParaMed is an Algonquin College partner organization. ParaMed employs Registered Practical Nurses

who are authorized to review and confirm medical clearance. The Requisite nurses at ParaMed clear

students from multiple colleges, programs and deliveries.

The role of the Requisite nurse with ParaMed is to review and confirm placement clearance only; they

do not plan placements and are not authorized to grant extensions on behalf of the program. If

students are not cleared at their ParaMed meetings they are required to contact the Field Placement

Officer directly and may not be eligible to complete their placement in their preferred term.

Initial ParaMed Clearance In order to obtain initial clearance for practice teaching field placements, students must follow the steps below. Initial clearance is required for any student who has not cleared ParaMed in the past—placement I students and any students who received exemption or PLAR for previous placements. Please note: students are responsible for the costs associated with the non‐medical requirements, immunizations and the services of ParaMed.

1 – Print and review the Clinical/Field Pre-Placement Health Form (hereafter referred to as “the year 1 form”) All requirements must be met by the placement deadline, you should complete the medical and non-medical requirements simultaneously to ensure all items are completed on time. 2a – Complete the Medical Requirements Make an appointment with your healthcare provider (physician or nurse practitioner) or Algonquin College Health Services to complete the medical section of the year 1 form. Our Health Services staff are experienced with ParaMed clearance, if you can travel to the campus this is highly recommended. Note: you can request your immunization records from Public Health if you do not have copies.

2b – Complete the Non-Medical Requirements PRCSVS: it can take 4-6 weeks to receive your police check by mail in the Ottawa area. Express Records Checks can be completed on the spot at the 2670 Queensview Dr. location for an additional fee. Standard First Aid/CPR C: students must provide current certification from a Red Cross, St. John’s Ambulance or equivalent First Aid course.

3 – Track your progress using the checklist provided The last two pages of this form are your clearance checklist. It is important to note that each time you book an appointment with ParaMed there is a fee, so you should always be prepared with complete information. Do not meet with ParaMed until you are certain all documentation is complete. 4 – Book an appointment with ParaMed You can book your appointment online or by contacting ParaMed at:

Phone: 613 728-7080/1-800-565-3393 Fax: 613-728-6583 Hours: Mon-Fri 9:00am-4:30pm

ParaMed Clearance

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6 – Attend your appointment Go to your ParaMed appointment with all the required documents. Take your originals along with

photocopies of all documents.

IMPORTANT: You will be required to leave one set of all your documents with ParaMed

and the originals will stay with you. Don’t lose it. If you go to the appointment with

only one set of your documents, expect to be charged for all photocopying.

If your documentation is submitted and approved, you will be cleared for placement at your appointment. You can create an account and check your clearance status online. If you are not cleared for placement, you will be provided with a deficiency list of the outstanding items you need to complete or correct. Once you have completed all of the items on your deficiency list, you will need to book a second appointment with a ParaMed Nurse to review these items. For this second appointment you must provide:

The Deficiency List Updated Clinical/Field Pre-Placement Health Form Required documents of proof

This appointment will be at an additional charge. The current rate for additional appointments is posted on the ParaMed website.

ParaMed Documentation Update Students are required to verify that their documentation is up to date prior to each placement. All

documentation must be valid for the duration of each placement and must not expire before the final

placement day.

Expiry Dates for Documentation Immunizations: the only immunization record that needs to be updated year to year is your TB screening. Your initial ParaMed clearance requires a two-step TB test, and you will require a one-step TB test annually after that. PRCSVS: your police check must be updated annually. In some cases, centres may request a police check dated within the past 3-6 months. Standard First Aid/CPR C: this certification will usually last the entirety of your program, but it does expire every three years and may need to be redone if it expires before completing the program. To prepare for placement II and III, please follow the steps below: 1 – Confirm your ParaMed status Prior to each placement deadline, confirm your status by completing this online request form. If your documentation is up to date, you only need to submit the ECE Placement Request Form for this placement period. If any of your documentation expires, follow the steps below. 2 - Print and review the Clinical/Field Pre-Placement Health Form (hereafter referred to as “the year 2/3 form”) Note: the year 2/3 form is specifically designed for students updating expired documentation ONLY. If

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you have not previously cleared ParaMed, please review the initial clearance process above and use the initial clearance form. NOTE: Please disregard the Student Agreement for Clinical/Field Placement in section C of this form. It is not required. 3 – Track your progress using the checklist provided The last two pages of the year 2/3 form are your clearance checklist, only the expired items will need to be updated. It is important to note that each time you book an appointment with ParaMed there is a fee, so you should always be prepared with complete information. Do not meet with ParaMed until you are certain all outstanding documentation is complete. 4 – Book an appointment with ParaMed You can book your appointment online or by contacting ParaMed at:

Phone: 613 728-7080/1-800-565-3393 Fax: 613-728-6583 Hours: Mon-Fri 9:00am-4:30pm

6 – Attend your appointment As you have received a list identifying which items require updating, you should be cleared for placement at this phone appointment. You can check your clearance status online using your student number and password.

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*Please remember to include your full name and student number in all correspondence with the college*

Online Learning Field Placement Officer | Centre for Continuing and Online Learning Algonquin College | 1385 Woodroffe Avenue Phone: 613-727-4723 x 7047 Email: olfieldplacement@algonquincollege.com Re: field placement and questions related to PLAR for placement I Student Success Specialists | Centre for Continuing and Online Learning Algonquin College | 1385 Woodroffe Avenue | Room P209 Phone: 613 727-4723 x 4846 Email: OLStudentSuccess@algonquincollege.com Re: all student support, orientation, Brightspace troubleshooting, general inquiries ParaMed | https://algonquin.requisite.ca/RQSApp/Login.aspx Phone: 613 728-7080/1-800-565-3393 Fax: 613-728-6583 Re: booking appointments, obtaining placement clearance Registrar’s Office | http://www.algonquincollege.com/ro/ Phone: 613-727-0002 Email: askus@algonquincollege.com Re: course registration or withdrawal, financial inquiries Health Services | http://www.algonquincollege.com/healthservices/ Phone: 613-727-4723 x 7222 Re: health requirements for placement clearance Centre for Accessible Learning | http://www.algonquincollege.com/cal/ Phone: 613-727-4723 x 7200 Email: cal@algonquincollege.com Re: Letters of Accommodation, counselling, referrals to other college services

Please note this document is current for Winter 2019 and details may be subject to change. Please visit the placement website for the most up to date placement information:

www.algonquincollege.com/ccol/field-placement.

Contact Us

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General FAQs When and how will I find out where my Field Placement will be? Local students receive confirmation of field placement 2-3 weeks prior to the placement start date. All confirmations are received by email. Non-local students receive confirmation of field placements as the agencies confirm in order to complete the Placement Setting Information Form. They receive a follow up email with next steps at the same time as local student confirmations, 2-3 weeks prior to the placement start date. Can I request a placement location (local students only)? Local students cannot request specific placement locations. Placements are assigned at partner locations based on travel, age group and experience. Students are not permitted to contact agencies or make requests for placement locations. Can I contact a possible placement location? No students are permitted to contact placement agencies. Non-local students submit their top three choices, and local students are placed at partner agencies. All contact with agencies comes directly from the college to ensure professionalism and consistency both locally and non-locally. Can I request specific hours due to other obligations (child care, work, etc.)? Students must complete full-time block field placements and must be available between the hours of 7:00am to 6:00pm. The average placement day requires a 7-8 hour shift, and the shifts vary by agency. No guarantees can be made for specific hour requirements. Students must make alternative arrangements to be fully available throughout this time or they may not be eligible to go out on placement in their preferred period. Can I be exempted from placem ents based on my previous experience? It is possible to challenge Practice Teaching and Field Seminar I based on experience, though placements II and III must be completed by all students. Students can challenge this course through our Prior Learning Assessment Recognition (PLAR) process. To be eligible to PLAR the Practice Teaching and Field Seminar I (FAM1233/FAM1234), an individual must meet the following requirements:

a. A total of 300 hours of full-time paid work in a licensed group care or a licensed family homecare or drop in center working directly with children.

b. The work experience is current within the last 3 years. c. The work experience is consecutive over a 12 month period. d. Completed all Level 1 Courses

If you think you will be eligible to be exempted from these courses, please contact the Field Placement Officer for more information. Can I complete placement at a location that I have worked or volunteered with in the past? Students cannot complete placements at a centre they work with, have volunteered with or been placed with in the past for the following reasons:

Frequently Asked Questions

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1. Our placements are unpaid. If a student is paid for the placement time, it cannot be counted as placement hours by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.

2. Students cannot be counted in ratio while completing placements as they do not have RECE designation and are not yet qualified to supervise children without a direct supervisor present. We understand that exceptions are made and you may be hired to supervise children without the RECE designation, however this is a college approved placement and while in the field you are insured by the college and must be treated as an unqualified student in the field.

3. It is not appropriate for students to be directly supervised and assessed by a colleague. Students are limited in what they can try and the new experiences they can gain when completing placements in familiar settings.

There are additional personal and professional benefits of completing placements at new and different locations. Placements allow students to try new things in a variety of settings and with different age groups. They allow students to learn from different philosophies and bring back new skills to current positions, and lead to building connections in the field that may lead to professional references and even alternative job offers. Can I just do longer days and have a day off so I can work at my job, or complete the placement in a shorter period of time? All placements require full-time hours (7-8 hours per day) Monday-Friday and cannot be condensed for a variety of reasons.

1. Your onsite supervisor is not going to be available for longer days. We try as much as possible to have students directly supervised by one person throughout the placement period.

2. Placements are designed to require students to take on increasingly more responsibilities throughout the placement period. If we condense placements further, there is no opportunity to slowly become familiar with the program and the children and to escalate the placement activities towards the final week of placement.

3. Most centres that run programs into the evening offer limited programming outside of regular business hours. After 6:00 pm centres tend to run dinner and sleep routines, there are far fewer opportunities to implement activities and curriculum.

ParaMed FAQs Why the rush to get this done so quickly? In a worst case scenario for students who are missing specific immunizations, completing these requirements can take up to 6 months. For students with current immunization records the average time to prepare all ParaMed documentation is 6-12 weeks. If you are not cleared by the placement deadline, you will not be eligible for placement. This will prolong your graduation and may result in additional fees. What if my current requirements expire before my field placement? You are responsible for making sure your medical and non‐medical requirements are valid for the duration of your placement. If they expire, you will need to redo them prior to the placement deadline. How do I get a letter from the college to obtain a Vulnerable Sectors Police Records Check? Some districts will require a letter from the college indicating why you require a VSPRC. If you require a letter, please complete this online request form.

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Why do I need to make an appointment with Algonquin College Health Services or my healthcare provider? Section A of both forms covers all the medical requirements as outlined by your academic facility and your field placement facility/organization. It is your health care provider’s responsibility to complete and sign all the areas on section A where it requires his/her signature. These are the shaded areas. While they will guide you through what will be required from you in the process, it will be your responsibility to make sure the health care provider completes all the shaded areas required and provide you with the proof of the identified immunizations and blood test results. What if I don’t have a primary health care provider (Physician or Nurse Practitioner)? If you are in the Ottawa Capital Region please go to Algonquin College Health Services. If you are outside the Ottawa Capital Region please visit a local walk-in clinic. There is a requirement in section A, which Algonquin College Health Services or my health care provider says that I don’t really need. What should I do? All items of this form are required for placement. It will be your responsibility to impress upon the health care provider that if you don’t have this, you cannot be cleared for field placement and will not be able to participate in this mandatory program course. Other than the completed form what other documentation might I be leaving with, from Health Services or my health care provider’s office? At the end of your visit, you will need copies of all supporting documentation: the completed Clinical/Field Pre-Placement Health Form, your yellow immunization card and/or municipal/regional health unit documentation denoting record of your immunization history and blood test results if applicable. What if there are some things I can’t complete on the checklist? Please contact the Field Placement Officer immediately. How can I pay for my appointment? You can pay with Debit, Credit or pre-loaded cards; cash will not be accepted after March 1, 2017. The current rates are posted on the ParaMed website. If you bring a “parent” credit card, you will need written permission. What if I need to cancel or miss my appointment? As long as you cancel or reschedule 24 hours prior to your appointment, there is no penalty. If you need to cancel and it’s less than 24 hours to your appointment, you will be charged. The current rate for appointment cancellations or missed appointments is posted on the ParaMed website. What happens at the ParaMed appointment? A Registered Nurse will review all your submitted documents and will determine your clearance for field placement. This appointment may take up to 15 minutes. What if I forgot to bring some of my documentation to the appointment? All documentation must be submitted at the time of your appointment. You will not be permitted to send in documentation via courier, post or fax after your appointment.