Key Facts
Please note this programme is not on the CAO and learners should apply directly to Chevron College
Why choose this QQI Level 5 Childcare course
This Level 5 Childcare Course Online Certificate is designed with Early Years Educators, and the children they will engage with in mind. The aim of the programme is to enable learners to develop the knowledge, skills, and competence to work as an Early Years Educator, promoting and supporting the holistic needs of children from 0 to six years within the Early Learning and Care environment.
This programme leads to a Certificate in Early Learning and Care at NFQ level 5 and is designed to meet the QQI professional award standards for Early Learning and Care at NFQ level 5.
The programme comprises of 6 mandatory modules, enabling the learner to develop the knowledge, skills and competencies required to work independently and as part of a team, to provide a quality Early Learning and Care environment.
The focus is on promoting the holistic wellbeing, development and learning of children from 0 to six years across a range of Early Learning and Care settings. The programme offers a balance of theory and practice, and professional practice placement is integral to the teaching and learning. Learners who successfully complete the QQI level 5 Childcare (Early Learning and Care programme) will have opportunities to progress into the workplace or into further and higher education.
How does the online course work
Once enrolled, you will receive an email containing your log in details to your online learning platform to start your course. Before your modules are released, you will need to complete a student support module which will give you an overview on topics such as IT skills, Assistive technology, navigate your way through the online learning platform, how to submit your assignments online, study skills, goals, mindfulness, academic writing skills, harvard referencing and supports available at Chevron College. All course materials such as notes, assignment briefs, garda vetting and insurance documents are contained within the online learning platform. No exams are required as all your course work will be continuous assessment. Each week you will be provided with course content to study in your own time and pace. Deadlines will be in place to submit your assignments. 4 scheduled virtual online evening webinars will take place every few weeks. Webinars are also recorded if you cannot attend.
Tutor Support
You can contact your tutor by email, request a call back and for that extra peace of mind, obtain feedback on your assignments. Your tutor is available Monday to Friday 9-5:30pm.
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.
Protection for learners
In compliance with Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Act 2012 Part 6, where Chevron College offers training programmes of 3 months duration or more, Learner Protection cover is in place via relevant financial product, should Chevron College cease to provide QQI programmes before learners have completed awards.
Course modules
| Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 |
| Introduction to ELC and Child Safeguarding | Professional Practice | Early Learning and Play |
| Holistic Care of Children in ELC | Inclusive Education and the care of Children with Additional Needs in ELC | Child Development |
QQI Level 5 Early Learning Care course details
- +Duration:
- 12 months
- +Course structure:
- The QQI level 5 childcare (Early Learning and Care) course will consist of 3 terms, each term will be 12 weeks in duration, you will need to complete 2 modules during each term. There will be a break of 1 month in between each term.
Each week, new content will be uploaded to your online learning platform to study in your own time and pace. To support you with your study, 4 Live webinars will be scheduled during each term in the evening time during the working week however webinars will be recorded if you cannot attend.
A total of 2 mandatory face to face classroom days are required over the 12 months of the course, these are scheduled throughout the year in Dublin, Cork & Galway and are scheduled on weekends for approximately 2-3 hours.
(Can be completed online up to June 2025)
- +Classroom topics:
- Aistear
- Activities
- Aims
- Learning Goals
- Siolta
- Linking to legislation and regulations
- Aistear Siolta Practice Guide
- Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Charter and Guidelines
- Story Sacks
- Literacy and Numeracy
- Observations
- Why we conduct observations
- Methods
- How to present
- Theorists and linking to current practice
- +Start Date:
- Start anytime
Who should enrol?
The Level 5 Childcare course will cater for a variety of adult learners ranging from school leavers with no previous experience in the ECCE sector to more mature adults with relevant life or work experience. Some of the latter will have previously had some education and training in childcare. More mature adults will frequently be seeking new career opportunities, be working in the home or currently working in the childcare sector. These will tend to opt for the part-time learning route to achieving the award. The course will be open to both male and female learners.
Entry Requirements
- Minimum level 4 award, Leaving certificate qualification or comparable.
- 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 105 or higher – Cambridge score of FCE or higher – Any assessment CEFR B2+ or higher
- Sufficient IT skills
Work Experience
To successfully complete the programme, you will be required to spend 150 hours, in two early learning and care settings, divided as follows:
- You must spend a minimum of 50 hours working with children between the ages of 0 – 2.8 years.
- You must spend a minimum of 50 hours working with children between the ages of 2.8 – 6 years.
- You can spend the remaining 50 hours working with children across both age groups.
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
Payment in full:
€1295
.
Instalment plans:
Option 1:
Chevron instalments plan: 8 consecutive monthly instalments of €188 each month, if this does not suit call us to arrange a tailored payment plan to suit your budget
Option 2:
Flexi Finance by Humm: 12 consecutive monthly instalments of €110 each month (finance loan agreement)
How to enrol?
Enrolment and payment are completed over the phone. To secure your place, please complete Click Enrol in the following chat: