Early Childhood Development
Examining Body: Pearson
Entry Criteria: Grade 4 in GCSE English and Maths
The study of early childhood development is a dynamic, constantly evolving field. Working with children can be very meaningful and rewarding, no two days are the same and every child is unique. Working with children is a privilege and your chance to make a real difference in supporting their growth and development.
Early childhood development focuses on physical, intellectual, emotional, and social development from birth up to eight years. This course enables you to gain knowledge and understanding of the importance of play and learning and health and safeguarding practices.
Transferable skills such as critical thinking, secondary research and reflective practice will also be developed to prepare you for your future. You will also undertake a work placement in a setting with children from birth up to eight years.
The qualification has four mandatory units covering the following topics:
Children’s Development – you will study children’s developmental progress from birth to eight years. You will learn about the principles of children’s development and milestones across the five areas of development. You will learn how to apply theories and models of children’s development, as well as develop an understanding of the potential impact of a range of factors which may affect how a child progresses through the developmental milestones. The unit will be assessed through one examination lasting 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Keeping Children Safe – you will explore the responsibilities of a professional in maintaining health and safety as well as ensuring effective safeguarding measures are in place. You will understand what to do in an emergency and when to address concerns about a child’s welfare. The unit will be assessed through one examination lasting 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Play and Learning – play is an important way in which children learn and develop. In this unit, you will learn about the types of play and the opportunities that should be available to children of different ages and stages of development. There are several theoretical perspectives, philosophies, and curriculum approaches to play that have been developed over many years. You will investigate these and consider how they continue to influence practice in children's care and education settings.
Research and Reflective Practice – as a result of research findings, the importance of children's development and the provision of services needed to support them is now recognised and used to inform legislation, policy and practice in the services available for children. In this unit, you will review the research carried out into issues in the sector and consider how the research findings may benefit children’s care and education and improve practice for professionals. The unit is assessed through written coursework.