Attain practitioner status as an Early Years Educator
An ideal Ofsted-recognised qualification for learners seeking knowledge for a career involving the care and education of young children. For example, working as a childminder, nursery nurse or Early Years worker. Upon completing the course, you’ll attain practitioner status as an Early Years Educator. Moreover, with fully-qualified sector status, you’ll gain a licence and right to practice as an Early Years Educator in a variety of care settings.
What’s involved in our Early Years Educator Diploma?
This Early Years Educator course provides you with extended knowledge of caring for children aged 0-7. As you progress, you’ll explore key topics such as health and well-being, legislation, play and development when caring for children. You’ll also consider your own professional development through reflective practice.
As a result, you’ll know how to support healthy lifestyles for children by having an understanding of nutrition, exercise and care routines. Furthermore, you’ll be able to follow key laws, policies and procedures, such as safeguarding and welfare, health and safety, and inclusive practice when working with children.
Finally, you’ll see how play, development and learning prepare children for school. We’ll discuss the value of Early Years before looking at planning and leading play opportunities. More importantly, you’ll learn to recognise and develop emerging English and Maths skills, along with speech, language and cognitive skills.
Aims of this Early Years Educator qualification
As childcare is a competitive industry, we’ve designed our Early Years course to give you exactly what employers ask for – a nationally recognised qualification. In addition, employers want to know that you have the skills and knowledge to look after children. Completing our Level 3 Diploma will show employers that you have been trained to the highest standards. Moreover, it shows that you have the best Early Years training available.
For employment, all you need is this Early Years qualification and your English and Maths Level 2 qualifications. For example, GCSEs graded A*-CÂ or Level 2 Functional Skills. With these qualifications in your pocket, you’ll be included in the Level 3 staff: child ratio in childcare settings. If you need English and Maths, Functional Skills is for you.
There is strong demand for skilled individuals to work with young children in a variety of settings. Maximise your chances of success by enrolling with Oxbridge? Start learning without limits with expert support today!
Key takeaways for this Early Years Educator course
- Gain the skills and knowledge to care for children from birth to five
- Develop extended knowledge of caring for children aged five to seven
- Earn Early Years Practitioner status when you complete the course
- Discover what you need to thrive in as part of the early year’s workforce
- Amass competence and experience that will impress employers
Potential career paths with an Early Years qualification
- Nursery Nurse
- Children’s Centre Worker
- Early Years Educator
- Early Years Teacher
- Private Nanny
- Childminder
- Playschool Attendant
- …and many more
To successfully complete this course, you’ll need to be working, volunteering or on a practical placement working with children aged 0-2, children aged 2-3, and children aged 3-5. This is because you need to demonstrate that you have and can work with children of all ages in real working situations.
An ideal Ofsted-recognised qualification for learners seeking the knowledge needed for a career involving children.
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A formal qualificationThis course is a formally recognised RQF qualification and is recognised throughout the UK, Europe and beyond.
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Get as much help and support as you want from your personal course tutor via email and phone.
- Awarding body: NCFE CACHE
- Our course code: X323
- Qualification code: 601/2629/2
- Official Qualification Title: NCFE CACHE Level 3 Diploma for the Early Years Workforce (Early Years Educator)
CACHE stands for the Council for Awards in Care, Health and Education, and are the leading specialist Awarding Organisation for the Care and Education Sector.
Study Hours
It takes around 600 hours to complete this course. This is about an hour a day over the course duration.
Study Method
Throughout this course, you may be expected to complete assignments, essays, research projects, presentations, video/audio recordings, and practical learning sessions to meet the requirements of your course. This information will be included in your study pack detailing exactly what you need to do to accomplish your goals as a student.
Course Duration
You have up to 18 months to complete this course and we have included a suggested number of study hours. This is usually ample time for learners, even with full-time jobs and other commitments. Don’t worry if you go over the year though, we can organise an extension to your course for an additional fee, which also extends your tutor support.
Assessment
Your progress will be assessed over several units of study. Each unit provides tasks and assignments carefully designed to aid your knowledge-based learning. You are required to pass all 23 mandatory units which will be internally assessed.
One of the tasks involved will be a Longitudinal Study in unit 3.15 which will also be internally assessed.
It’s also a requirement that you complete 350 placement hours in a childcare setting to gain the relevant skills-based experience and show competence in a real world working environment.
Most students organise this placement themselves and are often already working in a childcare environment. During your placement, observation by an assessor or qualified teacher is required. We recommend finding yourself an assessor. Find out what is required of an assessor here. However, if that proves difficult, we can send an assessor to observe you for an additional fee. Please contact us to find out more.
Assessors will be making direct observations of the learner working with children across the age range 0-5 years. However, this can be complemented by expert witness testimonies and reflective accounts (including prior knowledge and professional discussions to access knowledge, skills and competence outside of this age range).
Expert witnesses must only be used for observation where they have occupational expertise for specialist areas or the observation is of a particularly sensitive nature. It is not necessary for expert witnesses to hold an assessor qualification, as a qualified Assessor will be evaluating the testimony provided by the expert witness. However, we can offer training support for your expert witness, and your tutor will provide details if required.
The completion of an Evidence Record and Record of Assessment Cycle form is mandatory. This will be provided and your tutor will detail exactly what is needed.
Course Outcomes
Upon graduation, you’ll attain fully-qualified status in the sector, as well as a license and the right to practice in the childcare workforce as an Early Years Educator.
Successful learners will be awarded a formal certificate of achievement by NCFE CACHE. The training courses have been designed specifically to meet the needs of learners who prefer to study from home. You can read more about CACHE here.
To successfully complete this course, you’ll have needed to achieve work placement time working with children aged 0-2, children aged 2-3, and children aged 3-5. This is because you need to demonstrate that you have and can work with children of all ages.
Once complete, you 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
Additional Information
Official Qualification Title - NCFE CACHE Level 3 Diploma for the Early Years Workforce (Early Years Educator)
Difficulty - Level 3
Entry requirements - You don't need any prior skills or qualifications in order to enrol on this course. However, we would suggest that you've worked with children before or hold a Level 2 in Childcare.
Credits - 61
Course Content
Unit 1.1 Support healthy lifestyles for children through the provision of food and nutrition
Unit 1.2 WB: Support healthy lifestyles for children through exercise
Unit 1.3 WB: Support physical care routines for children
Unit 1.4 WB: Promote children’s emotional well-being
Unit 1.5: Understand how to support children who are unwell
Unit 2.2: Understand legislation relating to the safeguarding, protection and welfare of children
Unit 2.3 WB: Use legislation relating to the health and safety of children
Unit 2.4 WB: Follow legislation relating to equality, diversity and inclusive practice
Unit 2.5 WB: Working in partnership
Unit 4.1: Engage in professional development
Unit 3.1: Understand the value of play in Early Years
Unit 3.2 WB: Plan, lead and review play opportunities which support children’s learning and development
Unit 3.4 WB: Promote enabling play environments
Unit 3.5 WB: Developing children’s emergent literacy skills
Unit 3.6 WB: Developing children’s emergent mathematical skills
Unit 3.7 WB: Support children’s transition to school
Unit 3.9 WB: Develop children’s cognitive skills
Unit 3.10 WB: Promote children’s speech, language and communication
Unit 3.11 WB: Promoting children’s physical development
Unit 3.12 WB: Promoting children’s personal, social and emotional development
Unit 3.13: Support children with additional needs
Unit 3.14: Use observation, assessment and planning to promote the development of children
Unit 3.15: Use longitudinal studies to observe, assess and plan for children’s needs
Frequently Asked Questions
We have some answers to common student questions, but if you can't find the answer you're looking for then please contact us and we will do everything we can to answer your questions.
You will have access to your personal tutor, via email and telephone, who will mark your assignments and guide you through the course. In addition, you will be supplied with a comprehensive Study Guide which will help you through the study and assessment process. Your personal tutor will be highly experienced in their subject area and qualified to teach.
You don’t need any prior skills in the subject area to start. However, as with all of our courses, we recommend a reasonable level of English reading and writing ability.
You don’t need a DBS check to study the course. However, your placement will likely require you to have been checked, they will usually organise this for you.
No, this course is assessed by coursework alone.
No, all of the study materials are supplied within your learning pack.
Most students finish comfortably within the course duration period given. However, if you do need more time, your personal tutor support can be extended for an additional fee.
That’s fine, this course can be studied anywhere and is completed by submitting Tutor marked assignments (TMAs).
Please check our FAQs section or Contact Us, we are happy to answer any questions you have.