Key Facts
*for applicants with level 6 Childcare Major award
Why choose this course?
Chevron College recognises that every childhood lasts a lifetime and acknowledges the significant role the Early Childhood Educator plays in shaping early childhood. Chevron, therefore, aims to ensure that graduates of this programme will emerge as highly qualified professionals who equally value their role, and the role of early childhood education and care.
The diversity of this programme will ensure that Early Childhood Educators are equipped with the competence to navigate the ever-changing landscape of early childhood education and care in Ireland. It aims to enable Early Years Educators to support the holistic care and development of all children within their practice, with an emphasis on supporting children’s rights, inclusion, diversity and collaborative practice.
Early Childhood Educators will emerge from the programme as highly employable, child-centred professionals and leaders, with the tools to positively impact the lives of young children. Graduates can work as Early Years Educators, take on leadership and management roles within the sector, and undertake further academic study and research.
Students will be supported through this journey of personal and professional development by a team of highly qualified and experienced Early Childhood Education and Care lecturers and support staff.
How it works
Students can study from home through Chevron’s Virtual Learning Environment and engage with weekly study resources at times that suit their own schedule.
There are weekly live webinars to further support students’ learning, which students find extremely beneficial. These are recorded, therefore, if students cannot attend the content is accessible online after the live session.
Following the completion of each module students will have developed and gathered the knowledge, understanding and weekly feedback to enable them to complete their final assessment.
Professional Practice Placement is a requirement at all 4 stages of this programme, with 35% of the programme allocated for placement.
Learner supports and help
If students are struggling to understand weekly content they can post a question to the support forum and their lecturer will post a response to their query. Lecturers also have Open Zoom meetings each week so students can pop in to have a chat about module content if they so wish.
The Studies Advisor is available to support students with areas including academic writing, referencing skills and to develop a realistic study schedule for each module.
During Professional Practice Placement students will be supported by both their Chevron Supervisor and Placement Mentor.
Course Content
Stage 1 (60 Credits) – (Only for learners who don’t have QQI level 6 Childcare Major)
Stage 1 of the programme will introduce students to the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) sector including legislative, quality and curriculum requirements. Students will explore concepts, theories and strategies associated with early childhood learning and development and will recognise the importance of a play-based, inclusive early learning environment. Students will embark on the journey of developing their own professional identity and pedagogical approaches to become reflective, ethical, child-centred Early Childhood Educators.
Stage 2 & 3 (120 Credits)
Stages 2 & 3 will provide students with a broader and more reflective understanding of the key areas and concepts pertaining to the role of the Early Childhood Educator. Students will evaluate current early years practice from a global and national context and will examine strategies and practices to ensure a high-quality early years environment, with an emphasis on promoting children’s rights, creativity, inclusion, equality and collaborative practice. Students will further develop their professional practice and emerge as ethical and transformative leaders.
Stage 4 (60 Credits)
Stage 4 will provide students with a more comprehensive and complex understanding of ECEC in Ireland. Students will examine the role of management in ECEC and understand the theory and processes involved in the management of high quality ECEC and School Age Childcare services. Students will analyse existing research and engage in new research pertaining to the area of Early Childhood Education and Care.
Course Modules
Year 1 – (Only for learners who don’t have QQI level 6 Childcare Major)
| Semester 1 | Credits | Semester 2 | Credits |
| ECEC Historical and Current Contexts | 10 Credits | Language and Multilingualism in Early Childhood | 5 Credits |
| Child Health, Care and Wellbeing | 10 Credits | Curriculum & Pedagogy 1 | 5 Credits |
| Early Childhood Learning and Development | 5 Credits | Professional Practice 1 | 15 Credits |
| Psychology of Child Development | 5 Credits |
Year 2
| SEMESTER 1 | CREDITS | SEMESTER 2 | CREDITS |
| Sociology and Social Policy | 5 Credits | Literacy in the Early Years
Environment |
5 Credits |
| Creative Play in the Early Years Environment | 5 Credits | Advanced Early Childhood Learning and Development | 5 Credits
|
| Equity, Diversity and Inclusion | 5 Credits | Supporting Community and Parental Involvement | 5 Credits |
| Professional Practice 2 | 30 Credits | ||
Year 3
| SEMESTER 1 | CREDITS | SEMESTER 2 | CREDITS |
| Inspection, Regulation, Policies and Procedures | 5 Credits | Inclusion and Children with Additional Needs | 5 Credits |
| Curriculum and Pedagogy 2 | 5 Credits | Children’s Rights and the Voice of the Child | 5 Credits |
| Supervision, Mentoring &
Leadership |
5 Credits | Research Methods including a Research Proposal | 5 Credits |
| Professional Practice 3 | 30 Credits | ||
Year 4
| SEMESTER 1 | CREDITS | |
| Quality in ECEC | 5 Credits | |
| Advanced Padegodical Practices | 5 Credits | |
| Leading Management in Early Years | 5 Credits | |
| Professional Practice 4 | 10 Credits | |
| Dissertation | 10 Credits | |
Work Experience
Professional Practice Placement
750 hours of professional practice placement are required in stage 2 and stage 3 (level 7), along with 250 hours in stage 4 (level 8).
Placements must be completed across three various age groups:
- 0 to 18 months;
- 19 months to 2 years and 7 months;
- 2 years and 8 months to 6 years, including children with additional needs.
- A minimum of 40 hours must be completed with at least two of the age groups during each stage.
- A minimum of 40 hours must be completed with all three age groups by the end of Stage 3.
- Placement must be completed in a Tusla-registered early years service (crèche, pre-school, Montessori, Early Start Unit or ASD pre-school class).
Entry requirements
- Any QQI Level 5 major award
- English proficiency (if English is not your 1st language) any of the below english proficiently exams will suffice-IELTS score 6.0 or above-Duolingo score of 95 or higher-Cambridge score of FCE or higher-Any assessment CEFR B2+ or higher
- If you do not hold a QQI Level 5 major award, please contact us to discuss further
- Applicants who hold a QQI level 6 Major award will be exempt from Stage 1
- Sufficient IT skills
Qualification gained
- Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education and Care Level 7
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Early Childhood Education and Care Level 8
Career opportunities
Graduate career opportunities include working as an Early Years Educator, Room Leader, Early Childhood Supervisor or Manager. Further career opportunities include roles within community and family work, as an Early Years Specialist or employment in private and public organisations concerned with childhood. Further opportunities include undertaking further academic study and research.
Teaching and learning strategy
All students entering this degree programme complete an intensive induction process. This induction prepares the novice learner to transition successfully to study in an online Higher Education environment. Our tailored induction process is comprised of a 1:1 induction meeting and skills session with their personal Studies Advisor. This 1:1 induction session will teach the student how to access our virtual learning environment and how to use zoom. These sessions are tailored to meet the needs of individual students. At Chevron College we are aware that IT skills vary between students. These sessions are therefore designed to meet each student at their own level. By the end of this 1:1 session each student will have learned how to access our VLE and online zoom meetings. All students will therefore have developed the skills to participate in the intensive 4 day class induction sessions.
The four induction sessions for the class group take place during the month prior to course commencement. At these sessions, students will be introduced to their course tutors and their class community. These sessions will teach students the skills required to succeed in an online Higher Education environment where continuous active engagement with resources and formative assessments is required. Students will learn academic writing and presentation skills. They will learn critical reading writing and thinking skills and they will learn how to conduct literature searches. These sessions teach the students the foundational thinking and IT skills required to participate in our blended learning degree programme.
Each semester runs for 12 weeks; students study 2 modules each semester. Students should allocate a minimum of 10 hours per week for each module.The weekly module content is released on the Virtual Learning Environment on a Monday morning at 6am. Each week there is a recorded lecture, a workshop/webinar and an Educational Action to complete for each module.
The lectures function to provide a content overview of the week’s learning and establish the expected aims and learning outcomes as well as the criteria for measuring their achievement. During the lecture key concepts, ideas and theories are introduced and contextualised. This reinforces the relevance of the material for the students with the use of examples
The workshops and webinars function to support students to investigate, question and develop critical thinking skills about the weekly topics. Students are supported to take part in active discovery within their class community. This supports students to develop their Higher Order Thinking Skills and to apply these ways of thinking and practicing to Case Studies, Problem Solving Scenarios and Ethical Dilemmas. The skills required to perform educational actions for example writing skills, analysis, using info-graphics, evaluation of a source etc are also scaffolded during the workshops/webinars.
Each week students are required to complete an educational action. This provides students with the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned. If they take part students are provided with feedback and feedforward on performance on the Learning Outcomes and expectations are clarified for demonstrating achievement in the final module assessment.
Fees
Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education and Care Level 7
Payment in full: €6950
Humm finance plan: 36 monthly instalments of €232 each month
Chevron Instalment plan: 25 monthly instalments of €300 each month
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Early Childhood Education and Care Level 8
Payment in full: €9995
Humm finance plan: 36 monthly instalments of €325 each month
Chevron instalment plan: 35 monthly instalments of €300 each month
*The above costs relate to learners who hold a QQI level 6 Childcare Major award*
How to enrol?
Enrolment and payment are completed over the phone. To secure your place, please click Enrol Now: