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carer courses
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Carer Courses

What is a carer for the elderly?

A carer for the elderly, or a healthcare assistant, is somebody who looks after elderly people in either their home or in a nursing home/day centre. A carer for the elderly has usually completed a Care Assistant course before taking up this position, in order to provide the quality care needed. A carer provides the people in their care with assistance in their daily lives, in order to allow them to live with their dignity and independence.

What are Care Skills?

Care Skills can be boiled down to equipping you with the knowledge, skill and competence to understand the personal care needs of someone in your care; learn practical skills in the area of individual personal care and needs, and to maintain a safe, healthy and hygienic environment. A Care Skills course aims to provide you with the above in order to gain employment in caring.

 

What is Care of the Older Person?

Care of the Older Person relates to and allows you to understand and identify the appropriate care practices that meet the needs of the older people on your care. These needs can relate to helping people with certain impairments and ailments. The purpose of caring for an older person is to provide them with comfort, empowerment, dignity, independence and most importantly respect when they are at their most vulnerable.

carer courses

What qualifications do I need to be a carer?

In order to be a carer, you will need, at the minimum a qualification in Care Skills and Care of the Older Person. This is a QQI Level 5 Minor award, and will allow you to learn and understand the necessary skills for caring for elderly and sick people, in both a home care setting, day care setting or nursing homes. If after completing a qualification in Care Skills and Care of the Older Person, you are looking to upskill, you can complete a QQI Level 5 Major Award in Healthcare. Obtaining this major award will let you gain the skills needed to work in nursing homes, day centres and hospitals.

level 5 childcare online
QQI Level 5 Childcare Online Course 1024 683 Chevron College

QQI Level 5 Childcare Online Course

QQI Level 5 Childcare Online Course

 

Many of our students who enrol onto our QQI Level 5 Childcare online course are starting off in their childcare career and are very interested in finding out more about the sector, relevant courses and jobs. This course is very popular with either people moving into further education for the first time, for people who wish to upskill, or those who want a change of career.

We have featured some of the frequently asked questions below:

What qualification do you need for Childcare?

In order to become a Childcare Practitioner, each learner would need to complete the QQI Level 5 Childcare Major Award. This award is crucial to understanding the basics of providing quality childcare. QQI Childcare Level 5 is the first stepping-stone to understanding and experiencing the legislation, policies and procedures needed to provide quality care. This award will allow you to work as a Room Assistant in any early years setting across Ireland. This position also allows for growth and progression that then leads onto obtaining a QQI Level 6 in Childcare.

What is a Level 5 in Childcare?

A Level 5 in Childcare is a QQI Qualification that allows you to work in any Early Childhood Setting as a Room Assistant. Level 5 is ideal for any learner interested in starting a career in childcare. Level 5 brings each learner through the basics of childcare and the legislation that supports it. Childcare Level 5 is also a perfect place for a learner who is looking for a fresh start or a career change. Completing QQI Level 5 Childcare is the pre-cursor to QQI Level 6 Childcare and beyond.

level 5 childcare online

What is a FETAC Level 5 in Childcare?

FETAC (The Further Education and Training Awards Council) was a former awarding body for further education in Ireland. FETAC disbanded in 2012 and became one of the constituents of QQI (Quality and Qualifications Ireland), which is the new statutory awarding body for Ireland. QQI provide Minor Awards and Major Awards, ranging from Level 1 through to Level 6. A FETAC Level 5 in Childcare therefore would equate to a QQI Level 5 in Childcare – different name, but same qualification!

What skills do you need for Childcare?

One of the best skills needed for working in Childcare, is good communication skills. You need to be able to work with the needs and wants of both the children in your care, their parents/caregivers, and your colleagues. Each Childcare Practitioner should also be kind, patient, observant, creative, caring and should also be able to take the initiative when needed.

What childcare qualifications do I need?

It is a regulation in childcare practices across Ireland, that each staff member should have at the minimum a QQI Level 5 in Childcare. This qualification will allow for you to work as a Room Assistant in any childcare setting, as well as an SNA in both Primary and Secondary. If you wish to either open up your own business, or work as a Room Leader, you must hold a QQI Level 6 in Childcare. This can also allow you to work as an SNA again in both Primary and Secondary.

If you hold both these awards and wish to progress onto Management in Childcare, you must hold either a Level 7 BA (Ord) Degree or a Level 8 BA (Hons) Degree in Childcare. This will allow you to work as a Room Leader and Manager of a childcare establishment. Once you have obtained a Level 8 (Hons) Degree in Childcare, you can then progress onto a Level 9 Masters, or you can go into teaching and gain your HDip.

level 5 childcare online

How can I work in Childcare?

If you wish to work in Childcare, the best place to start is by obtaining your QQI Level 5 in Childcare. This course is very popular with either people moving into further education for the first time, for people who wish to upskill or those who want a change of career. This course covers all of the basics of childcare that each practitioner would need to know before gaining employment. It is also a regulation that every staff member in a childcare setting must have a minimum of a QQI Level 5 in Childcare in Ireland.

What jobs can you get with a Level 5 in Childcare?

By obtaining a QQI Level 5 in Childcare, you will be able to gain employment as both a Special Needs Assistant in both a Primary and Secondary School and as a Room Assistant in any Early Years Setting across Ireland.

What qualifications do you need to work in daycare?

To work in daycare, the course you are need to obtain is the QQI Level 5 in Childcare. This will let you work in entry-level positions as a Room Assistant. From here, you can move onto a QQI Level 6 in Childcare which will allow you to work as a Room Leader and allow you to open and run your own setting. You can also work ain daycare if you have a Level 7 or a Level 8 Degree in Childcare.

How do I become a creche teacher?

In order to become a creche teacher, you must first complete a QQI Level 5 in Childcare. This course will qualify you to work as a Room Assistant. This will then give you the experience needed to go onto pursue and upskill to a QQI Level 6 in Childcare. This course will then allow you to work as a Room Leader and to develop your own curriculums.

How do I become a preschool teacher in Ireland?

In order to become a Preschool Teacher in Ireland, you must first complete a QQI Level 5 in Childcare. This will allow you to work as a Preschool Assistant in any Crèche around Ireland. After completing your QQI Level 5 in Childcare, you can then move onto QQI Level 6 in Childcare. This course will then allow you to work as a Preschool Teacher in any crèche in Ireland.

preschool teacher

What careers are there in childcare?

In Childcare, there are many aspects of employment. You can work as a Preschool Teacher/Room Assistant/Leader, a Toddler/ Room Assistant/Leader and as a Baby Room Assistant/Leader. If you have a Childcare Major award completed, you can also work as a Special Needs Assistant in a Primary or Secondary School. If you have obtained a Degree level in Childcare, you can go onto Managing a crèche/Playschool. You can also move onto getting your HDip and becoming a Primary/Secondary School Teacher, or a Special Needs Teacher.

Parental Alienation
Parental Alienation 1024 576 Chevron College

Parental Alienation

Parental Alienation

 

Brian O’Sullivan will be leading Chevron Training’s “Counselling Approaches in Practice Settings” module (SSC212) in Stage Two of our BSc (Hons) Health & Social Care. Brian was interviewed on the RTE Radio 1 Ryan Tubridy Show talking about Parental Alienation, giving some great insights into this area. You can hear Brian’s interview below:

early years professional
Profile of an Early Years Professional 390 240 Chevron College

Profile of an Early Years Professional

Profile of an Early Years Professional

The day begins peacefully, the word “Zen” springs to mind. This is the part of the day when the adults get to converse about important adult work related topics. We appreciate these precious moments of calm, as this is indeed the calm before the storm. These golden minutes are an opportunity to organise the materials needed for the coming day’s activities which you have usually prepped from the night before. Ironically not so long ago I spent the evening cutting out 150 red paper hearts, all whilst watching Grey’s Anatomy!! The activities and prep covers a wide spectrum depending on the month, season or time of year. You could be digging compost into pots, to plant some seeds to grow some “Enormous turnips” or organising paints and coloured card for the imminent glitter and glue eruption.

At 9.00 a.m. the storm arrives (AKA energy laden children), all be it a soft shower first, with morning greetings and help with school bags and jackets. Then as more children arrive the pressure increases to tsunami proportions all adult conversation is abandoned, instead you turn your “multi-ear listening super power” (develops only with time) which gives you the capability to listen to and answer at least six anecdotes and questions simultaneously, whilst still on your knees helping take off coats. (Most mothers have already developed this skill!!)

Early Years Professional

Early Years Professional

Preschool teachers have to have a multitude of skills. We also become avid weather watchers. The ideal day is one which begins outside. The children enter the yard and begin their day by running, climbing and cycling away all of that pent up excess energy. The teachers all the while very mindful as to how wonderful it is that the children are getting the opportunity to build up their gross motor skills!!

The day continues with the large group of 22 being broken up into 2 groups of 11. One group will head off to do their Montessori work, which develops their fine motor and cognitive skills. The second group stay together for some preschool play. We have many activities to choose from the toy room, sand and water room, play dough or music and movement to name but a few.

Allowing the children time for unstructured free play gives the children the opportunity to interact with each other and so developing their social and emotional skills. The adult gets to develop their own negotiation skills to such an extent that we become convinced we will eventually attain a central role in the UN!! The war torn toy room also must be tidied after each session and that takes some in-depth discussions and compromise.

Another alternative is the sand and water room. This is a wonderful quiet time when the children get immersed in play. This is a perfect opportunity for the children to hone the 5 areas of child development i.e. Physical, Intellectual, Linguistic, Emotional and Social skills.

As teachers we are very aware that this is not just play but the start of exploration and a taste of science. Pouring, sculpting, rough, smooth, sticky, soft, wet, dry, this is some of the beautiful language we get to use with the children when explaining the different properties and uses of sand and water. However we refrain from using any language at tidy up time as at this point there is usually sand in every eye, pocket and shoe and of course a light dusting on every child’s head. No matter how water proof the aprons claim to be, short of gluing them to the children inevitably some of them end up wet. So now along with nappy checking and changing, there are sweaters and even vests to be changed too. (Again mothers are way ahead with this particular expertise)

Early Years ProfessionalExamples of some other activities are, movement and music, where you get to call on your inner child by marching, dancing and singing away to your hearts content. The beauty is that your adoring fans don’t care if you can or cannot sing, you are Beyoncé in their eyes, you are centre stage and your fans reach up high, down low, turn around and head, shoulders knees and toes it, as for those 20 minutes you are their rock star.

Play dough is another super rainy day option. This does involve eating a lot of imaginary birthday cakes and admiring googly eyed monsters and making endless snakes but all the time working on the children’s colours and fine motor skills i.e. building the muscles in their hands. Doing arts and crafts with 11 children has all the intensity of preforming open heart surgery, as you must keep everybody calm, safe and entertained whilst trying to help and guide them in making their precious valentines cards (remember the 150 hearts) all in less than 20 minutes. Close your eyes think, paint, glue, glitter, card, scissors, 3 and 4 year olds all together in a room with just you…. I bet your heart is beating quite fast.

Lunch time soon arrives. “Ah!” you might think some repose perhaps. This is a specific type of lunch remember, a lunch that needs help getting out, getting eaten, getting back in again. A “cleaning spills, using bin, sweeping floor and wiping tables” lunch. If you are really lucky you may get to bite your own apple but beware whatever you take out of your bag will be scrutinised, colour coded and asked to be shared. I am also going to take this opportunity to tell you that all teachers hate yogurts with a passion. After lunch we swap groups and get to do it all over again with another group.

This leads us up to home time, if we are blessed with a fine day we get coats on, again with the madness, because now they know we are going outside and the excitement and expectation exceeds even my earlier rock star concert. We can do some planting or structured play, obstacle courses etc. or we can just allow them to be children and enjoy free play. If rain stops play, we sit and have story time, again I must call on my puppet and story telling skills for these last few minutes and watch the delighted faces as the big bad wolf falls yet again into the little pigs pot of boiling water.

As the children begin to head home it is nice to have a little chat with parents at the door to give them a reassuring chat about how their child’s day went. “Zen” time soon returns and the adults get to take a breath and too tired to chat begin the tidy up and cleaning process. The bins are emptied, tables, toilets, floors are all cleaned and sterilised so in the event of a H.S.C inspection in the morning everything is ship shape.

Let me end by saying that this is a fast moving, quite stressful and emotional job. It is not one for the faint hearted. It helps to be active, fit and of course to really like children. You can ace all of your Early Learning Childhood exams but if children annoy you or you struggle with your inner child then maybe this is not the job for you.

On a lighter note, it is so very rewarding to watch the little scared tearful faces from September turn into confident, happy, school ready children who will always hold a little space in your heart. Children who you will meet maybe in a few years time and some might remember you and some may not but you know that you taught that child to make a sand castle or roll a snake or plant some flowers and had a hand in the very early stages of that child’s development.

level 6 montessori
Childcare & Special Needs Assisting 1024 1024 Chevron College

Childcare & Special Needs Assisting

Childcare & Special Needs Assisting

 

Childcare and Special Needs Assisting has become increasingly popular in Ireland over the last few years. In a sense, the childcare sector has finally gotten the recognition it deserves. Our government has created new legislations, frameworks and regulations to protect develop and enable childcare in Ireland to reach higher standards. Unfortunately, the Special Needs Sector was, to say, late to the party when it came to input from government resources and only in the last couple of years, this sector has grown and developed in its inclusivity and availability.

For too long, children with special educational requirements were not given the quality care provision that they required in order to gain the same level of education of their peers in mainstream schools. This is where the role of the Special Needs Assistant differs from that of an Early Years Practitioner. In this blog post, I will discuss what separates and joins the roles of the Special Needs Assistant and the Early Years Educator.

Special Needs Assisting

childcare special needs assistingA special needs assistant plays a vital role in any special or additional needs child, in either a Mainstream School or a Special Education School. Their role is to assist a class teacher with students who require special educational needs and care. The special needs assistant works under the supervision of a classroom teacher and School Principle. The SNA usually supports a number of special education children in the classroom, to provide them with the care and support they need.

The duties of an SNA are broad. An SNA can do anything ranging from preparing classrooms for the day; they can assist in the daily care of Special Needs children, for instance assisting in feeding and general hygiene. The SNA can also assist during school outings and activities. An SNA is extremely important to any additional or special need child, because they deserve the same attention and care as their peers in school.

An SNA is primarily involved in working with Primary or Secondary school age children. Many parents who have additional or special needs children also take part in SNA courses. This is because it allows them to learn about their child, and how to provide them with the best care and attention befitting of their needs.

Childcare Practitioner

The role of the childcare practitioner is to look after young children, toddlers and babies in a setting such as day care centre or a private home. They are responsible for providing children with a safe environment to play, learn, and help children to develop basic behavioural and social skills. The Childcare practitioners provide safe, loving, and supportive supervision and care of young children in their care. They engage children in age-appropriate play activities, plan curriculums that attend to the interests of the children in their care, organize outings and teach each child the skills that they need in life in order to gain the most out of their ongoing development.

The childcare practitioner also creates an environment that includes every child in their care. This involves working with relevant childcare legislations and frameworks that teaches the childcare practitioner how to hone their childcare skills. This will then lead to the childcare practitioner to gain the confidence to set up appropriate play and learning areas for the children in their care. These play areas, which ensure child development, include, solitary play, exercises focused on artistic expression, and quiet time.

Other roles of the childcare practitioner include supervising groups of children in adherence to ratio quotas, usually within a limited age range, depending on which area in the centre you are an assistant/leader in. These caregivers create lesson plans and organize activities throughout the day.

They often supervise indoor and outdoor play, engage with children one-on-one, and teach a variety of basic skills. The childcare practitioner also work with the parents of children to ensure that all requirements and needs are met when it comes to the care of their children.

Working in Childcare

Working in childcare is an incredibly rewarding job. The benefits and support you gain working in either Special Needs Assisting or Childcare, really make the studying and hard work worth it. If you are unsure as to whether you would prefer to practice Special Needs Assisting or Childcare, I would suggest the following.

If you have a deep interest in working with school age children on a more one to one basis, and if you would prefer to work hours that work in tandem with family life, then Special Needs Assisting would be the course for you.

If you are interested in learning about a child as a whole, and would love to help children develop from 6 months to 5 years old. If you also have an interest in different types of childcare, curriculum planning, development in children, then working as a childcare practitioner would benefit you more. Working in childcare and completing childcare courses, can also allow you to progress more. You could progress into degree programmes, which would allow you to work for Government Agencies specialising in Childcare and you can progress into teaching also.

Whichever path you choose in childcare, you will always ensure that all children, no matter their age, are availing of the care, attention and education that they require and most importantly, deserve.

multimodal learning
Multimodal Learning 525 350 Chevron College

Multimodal Learning

Multimodal Learning: Cultivating an Inclusive Learning Environment

By Myriam O’Farrell

Module Leader; Multi-modal Learning in Early Childhood

 

multimodal learning

 

Multimodality is a concept of communication which suggests that becoming literate in the modern world involves more than the use of words and written texts. It involves a myriad of different modes, each communicating its own unique meaning, for example, music, movement, gestures, sounds, visuals, art, textures and so on. A mode can be described as anything which communicates meaning and as such there are several potential modes which can be utilised to support early learning experiences. In the words of Loris Malaguzzi, founder of the Reggio Emilia approach, ‘Children need the freedom to appreciate the infinite resources of their hands, their eyes, and their ears, the resources of forms, materials, sounds, and colors’. Opportunities for authentic expression should be plentiful in quality Early Childhood Care and Education programmes. By supporting learning experiences which involve various modes of expression children can engage based on their preferences and in turn drive their own learning journeys.

 

Consider the diverse abilities of the group

How children experience and engage with different modes will vary depending on a range of factors, such as, development, cultural background and preferences. The level of engagement with the available modes has a direct impact on what children gain or learn from an experience. For this reason it is important that a range of different modes are provided in early years practice to ensure concepts can be processed and meanings constructed by ALL children in the setting. Consider a child who speaks English as a second language, this child may not understand the aural aspects of a read aloud activity. However, if other modes are included, such as, gestures, visuals and sounds the child can construct their own understanding based on the modes which are accessible to them. Likewise, consider a child who has difficulties with verbal communication, the incorporation of additional modes can promote an inclusive environment for this child. For example, the incorporation of a music or dance element during activities which involve verbal communication.

 

Reflect on the individual interests and preferences of the group

The interests and individual personalities of the children will guide the curriculum design in practice. This is very important particularly when striving to create an inclusive learning environment which caters for all children. As Early Childhood Professionals it is vital to be flexible in order to work with the interests of the group and recognise that children (like adults) process information and learn in a variety of different ways. For example, if you are working with a child who primarily engages during times when movement modalities are utilised, it would be vital to ensure the learning environment provides sufficient opportunities for expression through movement.

 

multimodal learning

 

Summary

Integrating multimodal experiences in early years practice means there is an approach in place that considers the diverse learning styles, interests, abilities and backgrounds of each child. Cultivating an inclusive learning environment is a multifaceted process which should be continuously reviewed within individual services. Adopting a multimodal approach supports this process and is a great way to start developing the inclusiveness and accessibility of the learning opportunities facilitated within the early years environment.

 

Are you interested in reading more around this topic? I recommend the following resources:

Marsh, J. and Hallet, E. (2008). Desirable Literacies: Approaches to Language and Literacy in the Early Years. London: SAGE Publications.

Yelland, N., Lee, L., O’Rourke, M. and Harrison, C. (2008). Rethinking learning in Early Childhood Education. England: Open University Press.

how online courses work
How Online Courses Work 510 340 Chevron College

How Online Courses Work

How Online Courses Work

 

A question that we get a lot from our learners is ‘how do online courses work?’ I hope that in this blog post, I can explain in detail, how our courses work.

When I began my QQI Level 6 in Childcare, I had never completed an online course before. I had only ever completed classroom courses. So, like many people, I had no idea what to expect. Luckily, though, completing a course online through Chevron Training is very easy to use.
Before you enrol onto our courses, you will be in contact with a Training Consultant. The training consultant will go through all of the details about the course you are interested in completing with us here at Chevron. If it turns out you are interested in completing the course, they will then very briefly go through the process of learning online. You will be told that you will gain access to a Learn Upon account where all of your course notes and course assignments will be stored.

Learn Upon is our online system used to store all of your course notes and course assignments. You can access your account through our main website https://chevrontraining.ie/. When you log into Learn Upon, you will be faced with a Dashboard. This is where you can access all of your information. There will be two tabs on the front of the screen, My Courses, and My Achievements.
My Courses is where your course content is stored for you to look at. This is also where you can access your Exam Timetable, but we will talk more about that later. Each module you are enrolled on will show up here. This is where you can access your module content.
When you click into your module, there will be three more headings, Details, Content and Certs & Credits. The Detail button when you click into it, will explain to you in detail, all about your module content, and what you can expect from your module. When you click into the Content button, you will have a list with around 16 separate steps. These steps start nice and easy with a Welcome Note. They then progress into how to apply for Garda Vetting, your course notes, and your course assignments.

online coursesEach module you are enrolled on will have the exact same format of viewing your module details. It is important to note that you will need to complete each of the 16 steps in order to gain 100% completion on your module. You will also not be able to skip steps, you will need to complete each step from 1-16. Your course notes will be extremely detailed and easy to understand. All of your course notes will directly relate to your Assignment Briefs. You will also be glad to know, that you will not need to purchase any books or other course material in order to complete your course.
Speaking of Assignments, each assignment will need to be typed out on Microsoft Word, or a product like Microsoft Word. When your assignments are typed out, you just need to print them off, and post them into ourselves here at Chevron. Some modules will also have various exercises that will need to be recorded with a camera. These can be sent in via Drop-Box or on a USB to be posted in with your assignments.
Work placement is a large part of our courses, and you will be asked to carry out 20 hours work placement per module. In work placement, you will be asked to carry out various Skills Demonstrations. These skills demonstrations will need to be signed off by your work placement supervisor, your log of work placement hours and skills demonstrations will also need to be posted in with your assignments.
With any course that you have booked onto, you will have an In-House Tutor. Your tutor is there to help you in any way possible. They are available to contact by email or by phone. Your tutor details will be listed on your Learn Upon account. Your tutor here will help you throughout your course in a variety of ways.

Our tutors often hold Webinars. These Webinars are a great way to get any questions you need answered in real time. You can book into these Webinars via Learn Upon, and your place will be reserved. A Webinar is much like a Seminar you would attend in College, but it is totally online. You will receive the same amount of information, and you will never be left in the dark on anything. If you need help on an assignment, or you are just confused about anything with your course, contact your tutors, they are there to help you out in any manner they can.
Our courses are tailor made for busy people. This is why there is no set start dates to enrol on our courses, or deadlines on our assignments. If you are completing a full QQI Level 5 or 6 Major Award, you will have 16 months to complete your course. If you are completing SNA Level 5 & 6, you will have 12 months to complete your course. If you are completing Level 6 SNA, you will have 2-3 months to complete your course. If you are just completing a module, you will have 2-3 months to complete this module. As long as all of your course work and work placement is completed within the allocated amount of time, you can take as long as you wish to complete your modules.
Last, but not least, the exam timetable. When you enrol on the likes of our Childcare or Healthcare courses, there will be exams for you to attend. In order to attend these exams, all you need to do is to have a good look at your exam timetable. On this timetable there will be exam dates for Cork, Galway and Dublin. All you need to do is select a date that suits yourself, and then send a quick email to your tutor who will book you onto your course.

Hopefully now, you will feel more confident with completing your course online!

learning to lead
Learning to Lead: Emerging Leaders in ECCE 1024 683 Chevron College

Learning to Lead: Emerging Leaders in ECCE

Learning to Lead: Emerging Leaders in ECCE

By Myriam O’Farrell

Module Leader; Leading and Managing Partnerships in the Early Years

Encouragement is to give heart to someone’ – Huang 2007.

Considering the caring disposition and positive outlook required to be an effective early years practitioner the value of giving your colleagues ‘heart’ and cultivating a positive environment in the workplace cannot be underestimated. Being an effective leader involves providing encouragement, reassurance and support to allow ECCE practitioners to flourish and achieve their full potential. Supporting your team members to develop and maintain professional practices involves many roles, such as, collaborating with your team by having a shared vision for your service, managing change effectively (communication is key!) and being a role model for best practice.

Have a vision … be a visionary

Having a vision means you know the goals and values of your service i.e. what you are striving to achieve – it’s your philosophy! A leader with a clear vision and philosophy for the early years setting is a source of inspiration for their colleagues. The value of adopting a visionary style of leadership is in the ability of the leader to positively influence staff towards sharing the vision and values of the setting. It creates a team ethos where it is possible to intervene promptly and decisively when standards are below the expected quality levels. Equally it affords practitioners the opportunity to improve practice and have best practice acknowledged and expanded. Failing to cultivate a shared vision can contribute to a lack of ambition within the service and lead to difficulties when it comes to decision making.

Managing change

Sometimes changes are required – sometimes on a local level or sometimes at a national scale. ECCE in Ireland has experienced many significant changes over the past two decades, the sector has evolved from a predominately unrecognised sector which lacked government funding to a professional early care and education sector which is constantly evolving. Some of the changes this sector has experienced include; the introduction and development of child protection measures and EYS regulations; introduction of ECCE scheme; the move from primarily care to a focus on care and education; an increase in cultural diversity; the development of Siolta and Aistear and a major increase in the volume of research being carried out about the value of quality ECCE in young children’s formative years.
In order to effectively implement change open, honest communication is required. If team members do not fully understand the benefits of the change it can cause resistance. Resistance to change can take the form of resistant feelings, thoughts or behaviour. Managing change is a complex process which requires ongoing commitment from ECCE leaders. Once all team members fully understand the benefits/ need for the change the leader still needs to encourage open communication and recognise the commitment to the change in order to sustain the motivation levels and create a new shared vision. As leadership happens in a social context the relationships between the leader and the followers are pivotal. A key role for the leader in ECCE is to communicate clearly to team members what is expected from them and always lead by example. Where possible team members should be included in the change management process i.e. help with goal setting, share ideas and develop short term plans.

Be a good role model!

The common idiom ‘a bad apple spoils the barrel’ has been used numerous times to describe the impact a negative team member can have on the culture within a service. To combat such situations, it so important to model professional standards each and every day. Many common idioms also spring to mind when I think about what it means to be a good role model, in simple terms as an effective role model for your service you should strive to ‘practice what you preach!’. This involves living the change or the standards you want to see in your service or room. As a role model for best practice in ECCE you should inspire confidence in your team members – participate in regular CPD, be interested in the best approach, make resources available for your team, share best practice knowledge, encourage and recognise skilled practices. Along with this the truly professional leader should have the capacity to recognise strengths and weaknesses of their service and their team. Both current and potential strengths need to be assessed in order to identify possible areas for growth and development.

Conclusion

The power of enthusiastically leading contributes to success in facilitating and developing professional practices. The powerful yet simple strategy of utilising encouragement in practice is invaluable, yet is not without its complexities. It involves being a visionary, being a skilled communicator and a professional role model for practitioners. Success comes from aiming high with a clear vision.

 

 

Interested on more on this topic? I recommend the following resources:

Cook, J. (2013). Leadership and management in the early years: a practical guide to developing confident leadership skills. London: Practical Pre-School Books.

Moyles J. (2006). Effective leadership and management in the early years. Maidenhead: Open University Press/McGraw-Hill Education.

Siraj-Blatchford, I. and Manni, L. (2006). Effective Leadership in the Early Years Sector (ELEYS) Study. London: Institute of Education. [online], available: Google Scholar [accessed 26 July 2018].

my journey in childcare
My Journey in Childcare 1024 682 Chevron College

My Journey in Childcare

My journey in Childcare began back in 2015, when I was accepted onto a Fetac Level 5 Early Childhood Care and Education course with the local ETB. I got into childcare as a teenager, by volunteering at local Summer Camps, and by of course, as most of us do, babysitting. So pursuing an education in Childcare seemed like the natural and logical next step.
Eventually after a year of studying, I obtained my Fetac Level 5 Certificate in Early Childhood Care & Education. Unfortunately, the local ETB was not offering a Level 6 in Childcare, but this ultimately lead me to Chevron Training. After some in-depth investigation into online courses, I decided to enrol on their QQI Level 6 in Early Childhood Care & Education.
Obtaining this Level 6 in Childcare is what lead me to gaining employment with a local, award winning Crèche/Montessori. I personally found that completing my Level 6 with Chevron was very user friendly and accessible. If I am being honest, I found the course content to be far superior to that of the Level 5 I had completed before. The course notes were extremely in-depth, yet easy to understand, and it was very clear that the tutors knew their stuff. My tutor always had an answer for the (many) questions I had, and they always got back to me quickly and efficiently. Their feedback was easy to take on board, and in the end helped me become more confident in my assignments.
What made Chevron Training stand out for me was the range of elective modules that are offered. When completing my Level 5 Childcare, we were not given any option on what elective modules we wanted to complete, whereas with Chevron, you have a lot of choice that will suit all different types of learners. Modules such as Disability Awareness and Special Needs Assisting cater towards childcare workers who have an interest in working with children with additional or special needs. Whereas the Arts & Culture and Literacy & Numeracy Modules suit the needs of the more artistically inclined childcare worker. Every early years setting needs staff who can offer both sides of the spectrum of childcare, in order to provide quality care to each child. Chevron Training is helping to pave the way for each childcare worker to obtain these skills, which in turn is only going to improve childcare in Ireland, now and in the future.

childcare
From my own experience, the most rewarding modules in Level 6 Childcare are Child Development and Child Psychology. These modules are fundamental, I believe to anybody working in childcare. It is not always abundantly clear in day-to-day life that the topics covered in these modules, are the reasoning behind much of a child’s actions and emotions. Anybody working in childcare will know that Observations are hugely important. They help you to form a deep understanding of each child, so you can then go on to develop the best care and curriculum that suits each individual child, as not every child learns and thinks the same. Child Development and Child Psychology really help you to understand the goings on of each child’s development, and that in turn helps you to give every observation a sturdy foundation.
When I was working in the Early Years Setting, I was a Pre-School teacher. Many people do not realise that the pre-school room is more than what it seems to be. When you work in a pre-school room, you are helping to set up children for not only the beginning of School, but also for their lives. While working in conjunction with the parents, you are helping to mould their children into becoming confident and self-sufficient young people. This starts by beginning their formal education in a way that is tailor made for them. This is where the Early Childhood Curriculum module comes into play. This module is all about how to execute each curriculum, and how to plan each curriculum. We taught the children by planning a curriculum for each week of the month. These curriculums could be seasonal, for example, all about Christmas, but they could also be about the Children’s interest, this is called Emerging Curriculum, and it is a very successful way in educating children, as you are educating them about their interests. When it came time to carry out my first Curriculum Plan, I had no need to worry, as the Early Childhood Curriculum Module had me set up. I understood the best way to plan a curriculum, I understood how to incorporate themes from both Aistear and Siolta, and I understood how to write out the report at the end of the curriculum. As this was my first job in childcare, I was delighted that I knew how to do exactly what was asked of me, all thanks to this vitally important module offered by Chevron Training.

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The last aspect of this Level 6 I am going to talk about, is the benefits of the ongoing work placement. Work placement is required for each module, and is hugely beneficial. The experience you get out of work placement, and the knowledge imparted on you from the childcare workers, really help you with your assignments, and also help you become more confident in your abilities. Even just observing the interactions between children, and between the staff and children, are great to see, as you can use this experience to add a personal touch to your assignments. You also have to carry out Skills Demonstrations, such as reading a story to a group of kids during circle time. Something like this can seem daunting at first, but after witnessing it many times during work placement, you understand that it’s not daunting, it’s actually great fun, and the children love it. Situations like this help you become confident and really back you up when it comes to searching for employment in the future.
Studying Childcare, and working in Childcare were brilliant experiences for me, and I owe a lot of what I know now to this. I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to work in this field without obtaining my Level 6 in Childcare with Chevron Training. This has also really given me the push to go on and start my BA (Hons) Degree in Early Childhood Studies with Chevron Training and The University of East London this September.

health social care degree
New BSc (Hons) degree starting in January! 1024 1024 Chevron College

New BSc (Hons) degree starting in January!

We are delighted to announce that our BSc (Hons) Health & Social Care degree is commencing in the new year. The degree will be a distance learning course with comprehensive support from our highly qualified full time in-house tutors and online forum, where you can discuss your studies with other students. The degree is part time and will take 3.5 to 4 years to complete.

health social care degree

If you would like more information on this degree you can click here or contact us on 01 6855 300!

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