Students are required to complete an orientation / interview with their Field Placement site prior to starting placement.  This is a time to meet their placement supervisor / principal, and potentially meet their mentor, and see the classroom. Students will also review the site policies and procedures, confirm shift times, and complete any paperwork required before placement starts.  This allows you to start in the classroom right away on Day 1 of Field Placement.

The orientation / interview also provides an opportunity for the site and student to confirm that students have met all of the site expectations to carry out a placement and that you have successfully completed the orientation / interview.  If you do not meet the requirements for the placement site you will not be able to participate in field placement for the semester.

Once students receive their confirmation email identifying where they are attending placement, they are required to call their site to introduce themselves and set up the mandatory orientation / interview. Students are also required to follow up with an email to the site if they are not able to connect with their contact by phone. Students receive credit of one day for their orientation / interview regardless of the duration as they are following the placement site requirements.

If a Field Placement site prefers to complete the orientation / interview on the first day of placement, the student is required to report this to their Field Placement Specialist and follow up will be completed with the Field Placement site.  In this circumstance, the student will still receive credit for the orientation / interview with approval from the Field Placement Specialist.

Sample Orientation / Interview Email

This is a sample email to send to your placement site to set up an orientation / interview. Please add or update the information in the bolded areas to make it current for you.  Don’t forget to remove the bolding!

Hello (Contact Name),
My name is (First and Last Name) and I am an Early Childhood Education student at Mohawk College.  I am looking forward to completing my Field Placement 2 with you starting on Wednesday, October 6th and would like to set up an orientation / interview.
I am available every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday if you could set up an orientation / interview date and time that works with your schedule.
I am available by email, but if you prefer to call me, I can be reached at (Phone Number).
Thank you for the opportunity, and I look forward to hearing from you.
(First Name)

Orientation / Interview Checklist

To assist in a more prepared and organized orientation / interview and start to placement, students are required to follow the ECE Field Placement Orientation Checklist. This document lists the paperwork that is to be in the student’s Field Placement binder, as well as questions to ask, and paperwork to be completed at orientation / interview.

Field Placement Binder

Students are to place all placement paperwork into a binder to keep everything organized and easily accessible.  This also keeps all information in one place for safe keeping as you progress throughout your placements and into employment.

Read more about what paperwork is to be placed in the Field Placement Binder.