Level 3 Early Years Educator
Course Overview: Highly trained professionals who play a key role in ensuring that young children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe
Early Years Educators
Early Years Educator is designed for “highly-trained professionals” working with children to ensure they are safe and healthy and develop learning skills in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage as set by Government for the learning, development, and care of children from birth to 5 years old. Job roles may include Nursery Nurse, Nursery Practitioner, Nursery Assistant, and Childminder, working in a range of settings for example nurseries, day nurseries, pre-schools, children’s centres, reception classes, and childminder premises.
Level 3 Diploma for Working in the Early Years Sector (Early Years Educator)
An Early Years Educator:
- Plans and supervises child initiated and adult led activities which are based around the needs and interests of each individual child
- Supports children to develop numeracy and language skills through games and play
- Has key person responsibility to help ensure each child feels safe and secure
- Observes each child and shapes their learning experience to reflect their observations
- Meets the care needs of the individual child such as feeding, changing nappies and administration of medicine
- Works in partnership with other colleagues, parents and/or carers or other professionals to meet the individual needs of each child
Duration
15 months.
Price
£4500. This can be paid in full or through instalments of £300 a month. Advanced Learner Loans are available.
Entry Requirements
Learners should be at least 16 years old and should have the ability to manage the requirements of the level of the qualification; candidates will be required to undertake the Initial Assessments before confirmation of place on course. Learners must be employed in a suitably Early Years setting for more than 16 hours a week.
The required minimum number of mandatory work placement hours is 300. However, it is recommended that learners complete 350 hours whenever possible.
Course Content
This qualification consists of 10 mandatory units. To complete the course, learners must successfully achieve all 10 units, totaling 95 credits.
The units are as follows:
- Introduction to the role of the early years educator
- Holistic child development
- Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
- Effective communication in an early years setting
- Safeguarding and welfare requirements
- Health, wellbeing and safety
- Promoting an effective early years curriculum
- Assessment of children’s learning and development
- Understanding play for holistic development and learning
- Partnership working
Progression Opportunities
Upon achievement of this qualification it is intended that learners will be able to enter the workforce as Early Years Educators.
Learners can progress into various job roles in the statutory, voluntary or private sectors such as:
- Practitioner in day nurseries
- Practitioner in nursery schools
- Practitioner in reception classes in primary schools
- Pre-school worker
- Home based child carer