NQ Access to Early Learning and Childcare (Level 4)

Course description

Be inspired!Dillan tells us why he recommends a career in Early Years, and why he loves going to work every day!Early year’s provision has changed significantly over the years. Today effective early childhood education experiences are recognised as playing a key role in future life chances and achievement. Meaningful play is an important element of early year’s courses, however there’s also a significant amount of theory which increases with each level. So as well as having hands-on fun, be prepared for a lot of reading and writing too.

This course introduces you to the knowledge and understanding you’ll need to work successfully in childcare. It will also develop your practical skills for working with children. Here’s just some of what you’ll be doing: You’ll learn why play is so important to children’s learning and development. You’ll look at the different types of play for children under 12, and how it contributes to their holistic development. Using your creative side, you’ll have plenty of fun making play dough, painting and constructing. You’ll explore child development, looking at the key milestones for under 12s across physical, emotional and social, cognitive and language development. You’ll look at caring skills and how to meet the wide range of developmental needs of children under 12, from love and affection, to fresh air and exercise, sleep and socialisation. You’ll explore parenting for children under 12. You’ll look at the personal skills and qualities required of parents in relation to their child’s care, learning and development. You’ll explore the different types of provision in the early education and childcare sector, including local authority nurseries and schools, voluntary playgroups and clubs, and private nurseries and independent schools. You’ll also look at how to provide a balanced diet for health and wellbeing; how social influences impact on people’s life chances; and how to maintain a safe environment for early education. Finally, you’ll have the chance to build your confidence, self esteem, self reliance and interpersonal skills through a range of projects. This might include engaging with Mother & Toddler groups or volunteering in the community to gain relevant understanding eg gardening for eco-schools.

Learning outcome

In this course you will have built transferable Essential Skills in meaningful contexts to help you become more effective in life, learning, and work. This could be communication, numeracy, ICT, working with others, and problem solving. When you successfully complete this course, you’ll have the choice of: Moving onto a Level 5 course such as NC Early Education and Childcare Seeking employment in e.g. Holiday Playschemes BE INSPIRED BY OUR BLOGMeet&Early Learning and Childcare student Dawn McLean: She tells us about how she was inspired to come to college to study Early Years after taking her son to a Parents Early Education Partnership (PEEP) session.