Bachelor of Education

Early Childhood Education and Practice

Code

SE935

Location

Carlow

Campus

Kilkenny Road

Level Level 7
Duration 3 Years
CAO Points 207
Credits 180
Global Applicants View details

What is the Course about?

Early childhood education and care involves supporting babies and young children to become competent and confident learners through loving relationships with others. Children require high-quality education and care during their formative years. Research indicates that the higher the professional qualification of the educator working with the children, the higher the quality of the setting and the children's experiences in it.

Course Structure

This honours degree in Early Childhood Education and Care enables the student to study a diverse range of subjects in order to gain a deep understanding of babies and children from birth to six years of age. Students develop a knowledge and understanding of Aistear, the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework and Síolta, the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education, essential for professional work in this area of practice.

Is this course for you?

Are you interested in supporting the learning, development and well-being of babies and young children and their families? Would you like to learn how to provide a positive and enriching learning
environment while promoting children's play, creative and critical thinking skills?

Special Features:

Professional work placement is an integral part of the course, supported by preparation and on-going workshops.
The Department of Education and Skills has determined that our degree programme meets the requirements of their Professional Award Criteria and Guidelines for Initial Professional Education Degree Programmes for the Early Learning and Care (ELC) Sector in Ireland.

Year 1

Semester 1	Semester 2
Academic Writing and Enquiry in Higher Education	Child Development
Creative Arts Practice in Early Childhood	Children's health, care and wellbeing
Early Childhood Education and Practice	Introduction to Children's Social Policy
Introduction to Psychology	Play-based Pedagogy
Introduction to Sociology	Supervised Professional Practice 1

M is a mandatory subject - E is an elective subject

Year 2

Semester 3	Semester 4
Supervised Professional Practice 2	Creative Arts Practice for School-Aged Children
	Diversity, equality inclusion in early childhood practice
	Language and Multilingualism in Early Childhood Practice
	School-Age Childcare Practice
	The Psychology and Sociology of Children and Childhoods

M is a mandatory subject - E is an elective subject

Year 3

Semester 5	Semester 6
Advanced Pedagogical Practices	Supervised Professional Practice 3
Critical Perspectives on Children's Health and Wellbeing
Educational Needs
Law for Early Childhood Practice
Regulation and Inspection in Early Childhood Education
STEM Curriculum for Early Childhood and Afterschool Education

M is a mandatory subject - E is an elective subject

What are the minimum entry requirements?

5O6/H7
English or Irish O6/H7
Garda vetting required

What follow-on study opportunities are available?

Graduates are eligible to progress to Bachelor of Education in Early Childhood Education and Practice (NFQ Level 8) year 4.

What exemptions will I receive?

Notes

What will I be able to do when I finish the course?

Graduates will have the knowledge, competencies and skills to work directly with, or on behalf of, babies and young children in a range of early childhood settings, particularly in the ECCE free' pre-school year funded by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.

Professional employment opportunities can include roles as room leaders, managers and leaders
in early childhood settings such as: pre-schools; crèches; special needs services; family support centres and community services.

Opportunities may include leadership roles in county childhood care committees, specialists with Better Start National Early Years Quality Development or inspectors with the Department of Education and Skills.