What Professional Development Opportunities Does Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre Offer?

Updated

Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre (WCCRC) offers professional development through workshops and learning opportunities designed for certified Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) and early years professionals in British Columbia. Its curriculum is structured to serve both people just entering the field and experienced educators who want to expand their skills and share what they know. If you are an ECE or early years professional looking for training, the main entry point is the Workshops section of wstcoast.org, with the Westcoast Early Learning Library (WELL) available as a supporting resource.

Who the professional development is for

WCCRC describes itself as a leader in developing and offering professional development opportunities and learning for:

  • Certified Early Childhood Educators — educators who already hold certification and need ongoing learning.
  • Early years professionals — those working in related early learning roles.
  • New entrants to the field — the curriculum includes topics aimed at people just starting out.
  • Experienced educators — topics are also designed for those with years of experience who want to add to their toolbox and share their experience.

This means you do not need to be a veteran educator to benefit; the offerings are explicitly described as spanning both ends of the experience range.

What is offered

Workshops

The Workshops section is where WCCRC presents its professional development schedule. According to the site, WCCRC develops and offers these opportunities directly, and the curriculum covers a range of topics for the audiences above. To see current topics, dates, and formats, you need to check the Workshops page itself — the site does not list individual workshop titles, schedules, or fees in the material available here, so those details should be confirmed on the page before you plan around them.

Westcoast Early Learning Library (WELL)

WELL is positioned as a resource for both educators and the children in their care. WCCRC points educators to WELL for additional resources beyond the workshops. Note that the site references a "Westcoast Early Learning Library Hours update," which indicates hours can change — check the current hours before visiting.

Newsletter

WCCRC maintains an e-newsletter described as keeping readers up to date with "the world of child care." Signing up is a way to hear about updates and changes at WCCRC, which can include new professional development offerings.

How to access these opportunities

  1. Go to wstcoast.org.
  2. Use the Professional Development area and select View Workshops to see the workshop offerings.
  3. For additional materials, visit the Westcoast Early Learning Library (WELL).
  4. Optionally, sign up for the e-newsletter to receive updates on WCCRC and the child care field.

The expected result at step 2 is a view of the workshop listings; the site does not specify registration mechanics, pricing, or eligibility requirements in the available material, so confirm those on the workshop pages themselves.

What is not covered here

The available site material does not state workshop fees, registration deadlines, delivery formats (in-person vs. online), continuing-education credit details, or whether any offerings are restricted to certain certifications. Treat those as open questions to verify directly with WCCRC rather than assumptions.

A note on WCCRC's wider role

WCCRC has served for over 30 years and provides consultation and guidance to government, researchers, and other organizations to support excellence in early care and learning across BC. It is also the host organization for the Vancouver Child Care Resource & Referral (VCCRR), which supports both child care providers and families in the City of Vancouver. For professionals, this context matters mainly because it signals that the professional development offerings sit within a broader provincial resource and referral network — but the training itself is the part relevant to your own learning plan.