Resignation Guide
Resignation is the process by which members cancel their membership with the College because they are leaving the practice of the profession in Ontario. Members may leave the profession for a temporary, short period of time (e.g., parental leave) or may leave permanently (e.g., moving to another jurisdiction outside of Ontario, etc.).
Important: Membership cannot be put on hold or postponed. A person is either a member or not. Registration statuses can only be “current”, “suspended”, “cancelled”, “resigned”, or “revoked”.
- Members who are thinking of leaving the practice of the profession need to decide whether they will maintain membership or resign. Considerations for this decision are outlined on this web page.
- If you resign, it means that you will no longer be a member of the College and will not be allowed to practise the profession in Ontario or refer to yourself using the protected titles and designations. There are serious consequences for persons who are convicted of practising as an ECE without holding a Certificate of Registration in good standing with the College, including significant fines and court orders.
On this page, find information about:
Considerations in the decision to resign
Members who are preparing to leave the practice of the profession in Ontario need to decide whether to maintain their membership with the College or resign. Here are some considerations to keep in mind when making a decision.
If you choose to maintain membership and not resign, you will be required to fulfill all of the obligations of your membership, including but not limited to:
- Completing the annual renewal process by your renewal due date, and
- Participating in the Continuous Professional Learning (CPL) program in accordance with all requirements, and
- Notifying the College of any changes to your information on file
As long as you continue to fulfill all obligations as required, you can maintain your membership with the College. The public register will show your registration status as being current.
If you fail to fulfill any obligations as required (e.g., you let your renewal lapse), your Certificate of Registration will be suspended and eventually revoked. Your profile on the public register will be updated with these statuses.
If you choose to resign, you must follow the procedures outlined on this web page. When your resignation takes effect, you will not be allowed to practise the profession in Ontario or refer to yourself using the protected titles and designations.
- If you want to return to practice in the future, you will have to apply to the College to have your Certificate of Registration re-issued to you. (Information about re-applying is outlined on this web page). This process takes several weeks, so be sure to re-apply well in advance of the date you want to return to practice. You will not be allowed to practise until your Certificate of Registration is re-issued to you.
I want to resign but there is an outstanding matter regarding my conduct on file with the College. Can I resign?
- If you resign when there is an outstanding matter regarding your conduct, it may impact any application you make to the College in the future. Depending on the circumstances, the College may have grounds to refuse to re-issue your Certificate of Registration.
The requirements of the resignation process
Are you completing the correct version of the Request for Membership Resignation Form?
- This Resignation Guide is for the 2024 Resignation Form. The version date is printed on the bottom of each page of the Request for Membership Resignation Form.
- Do not use any other version of the Request for Membership Resignation Form that you may have. The College does not accept versions of forms that are submitted after their expiry date.
How to complete the resignation request form
You can complete the Request for Membership Resignation Form electronically or in writing. Click on the headings below for steps to complete the form electronically or in writing.
How to complete the form electronically
- Save a blank copy of the form to your computer.
- Open the saved blank copy and enter your information in each section.
- Save the completed copy.
- Submit the completed copy to the College.
- (Instructions for how to submit your completed form are provided further below on this web page).
How to complete the form in writing
- Print a blank copy of the form.
- Write your responses in each section. Please use pen and write clearly and neatly.
- Submit the completed form to the College.
- (Instructions for how to submit your completed form are provided further below on this web page).
Section 1: Member Information
In Section 1 of the Request for Membership Resignation Form you must provide the following general information.
- Last name, First name, Middle name(s)
- Provide your full last, first, and middle names.
- Registration number
- This is the unique, five or six-digit number assigned to your Certificate of Registration.
- It is also sometimes referred to as the College of Early Childhood Educators number (CECE#), or membership number.
- The number can be found on the College’s public register.
- Home address
- Provide your complete address including city, province/state, country, and postal code.
- E-mail address
- Provide the current and correct e-mail address that you use to receive communications from the College.
- Since the College may send you e-mails that contain your personal information, the e-mail address must be one that only you can access.
- Reason(s) for resignation
- Indicate the reason(s) for your resignation by checking the applicable option(s) from the list of reasons provided on the form.
Section 2: Acknowledgement
The purpose of Section 2 of the Request for Membership Resignation Form is to confirm that you understand certain obligations you will have as a former member of the College once your request for resignation is processed by the College and takes effect.
- Truth of information
- You are to confirm that the information provided in the Request for Membership Resignation Form is true.
- Using protected titles
- When your resignation takes effect, you can no longer use the protected titles and designations “early childhood educator” (ECE) or “registered early childhood educator” (RECE), or their French equivalents.
- It is against the law for any person to use any of these protected titles and designations without holding a Certificate of Registration in good standing with the College.
- For more information on this topic, see the College’s Professional Advisory on the Use of Titles 2012.
- Practising the profession
- When your resignation takes effect, you can no longer practise the profession in Ontario.
- It is against the law for any person to practise as an ECE in Ontario without holding a Certificate of Registration in good standing with the College.
- Individuals who are convicted of this offence can face significant fines and court orders.
- Representing oneself as a member of the profession
- When your resignation takes effect, you can no longer represent or hold yourself out as being a member of the College.
- This prohibition applies whether your expression of membership is explicit or implicit.
- Reason(s) for resignation
- Indicate the reason(s) for your resignation by checking the applicable option(s) from the list of reasons provided on the form.
Section 3: Signed Confirmation
In Section 3 of the Request for Membership Resignation Form you must provide consent and confirm your request for resignation by checking the box for this statement.
- You must also type/print your name and indicate the date. The College treats this entry as your signature.
How to submit your request for resignation
To submit your request for resignation:
- Review the Request for Membership Resignation Form to ensure that it is complete and accurate.
- Send your completed Request for Membership Resignation Form to the College by e-mail or mail. The College does not accept requests for resignation by telephone.
- E-mail: registration@college-ece.ca
- Mail: See college-ece.ca/about-us/contact-us/
Are you submitting your resignation request by email? If yes, note that:
- You will receive an automatic reply to your email. If you receive the automatic reply, it means that the College received your email. If you do not receive the automatic reply within 24 hours, check your “junk mail” folder. If the automatic reply is not in your “junk mail” folder, re-send your e-mail or contact the College.
What happens after you submit your request
When the College receives your Request for Membership Resignation Form the College will:
- Review your Request for Membership Resignation Form
- If any one or more parts of the form are not completed in full, the College will not continue with processing your request for resignation until you provide the missing information.
- If there is an outstanding matter regarding your conduct on file with the College, the College will follow-up with you before processing your resignation.
- Update your file at the College
- Your registration status will be changed to “resigned/cancelled”. This change in status will be updated on the public register at the same time.
Once all of the above steps are complete, the College will issue you a letter confirming your resignation.
Returning to ECE practice in the future
There are two ways by which former members who resigned can return to the practice of the profession in Ontario in the future.
- Apply for the reinstatement of their Certificate of Registration
- Re-apply for their Certificate of Registration
To determine which path applies to your circumstances, see the table on the reinstatement page.
What to do if you have more questions
If you have questions about resignation that were not answered in the information above, contact the College by telephone or e-mail.
- Telephone: 416 961-8558 – select the option for “Registration”
- Toll-free: 1 888 961-8558 – select the option for “Registration”
- E-mail: registration@college-ece.ca