Educare Courses

How Important are Educare Courses?

Educare courses are much more important than you might imagine at first. Educare courses teach you about being an early childhood development professional. This means that they teach you how to best work with and teach children during the early stages of Childhood Development. 

All children go through different stages of development but the first few years of a child’s life are part of the most important stages of a child’s development. These stages of development were first identified by Jean Piaget. Piaget realised that children are not just small adults but that they develop differently.

What are the Stages of Childhood Development?

According to Jean Piaget, a child’s development can be broken down into four distinct stages. These are the Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete operational, and Formal operational stages. Each stage has several distinct developmental milestones. These milestones are things that children learn to do that mark a new part of their development. 

Sensorimotor

The first stage of a child’s development is the stage from birth to two years of age. During this stage, a child learns about the world around it through movement and through basic actions. Thes actions are things like sucking, looking, grasping, and listening. 

In this stage, the child learns that things still exist even when they can’t see them and they learn that their actions have an effect on the world around them. They also gain the ability to separate people and objects around them. 

Preoperational

The second stage of a child’s development is from two until seven years of age. It is in this stage children start to develop language and think symbolically. This means that they learn to use words and pictures to identify objects. While their language and thinking skills develop, they still see things in very concrete terms, meaning there are no grey areas.  

During this time children are also not able to see more than one perspective on a situation and are egocentric. This means that they cannot see the perspective of someone else, only their own. 

Concrete operational

The third stage of childhood development falls between the ages of seven and eleven. In this stage, the way children think starts to change. They still think in very concrete terms but they become less egocentric and begin to think more logically. 

Children in this stage also learn to use inductive logic, meaning that they can think logically to come to a general conclusion even though it might not be true. For example, the cricket ball is red, which means all cricket balls are red. 

During this stage, children also develop more observational skills and thinking. They begin to understand things like a short, wide glass holds as much water as a taller thinner glass, for example.

Formal operational

The last stage of childhood development starts at the age of twelve and continues until the child reaches adulthood. This is when a child begins to think about more abstract and hypothetical “What If?” situations and problems.

By the time the child is a teenager, they begin to think about more philosophical things like morality, ethics, politics, and similar topics. These topics require a lot more abstract and philosophical thinking. They also learn to use deductive reasoning which allows them to get specific information from a general rule. 

These stages are a general guide as children develop in their own time. Some children might reach a stage much sooner than others.

What are the Benefits of Educare?

In South Africa, studies have shown that about 80% of children do not have access to any kind of outside education and care before they start school. While there is nothing wrong with doing this, these children do not receive the benefits that children who receive ECD education do.

There are several important benefits to children who receive Early Childhood Development (ECD) care. These benefits include things like physical development, emotional development, communication skills, and even improved creativity. 

One of the benefits of Educare is that children who attend some kind of preschool education develop better social skills. They learn to contribute their ideas and to be part of a team from a young age. They learn to listen and cooperate and they develop greater confidence in social situations. It also helps children learn how to make friends more easily. 

Another benefit is that these children also develop better behaviour. This is because they are socialising at a younger age and become aware of things like acceptable behaviour sooner and they also learn to take instructions better. 

Apart from the social benefits, these children also have improved learning. During their day they are exposed to numeracy and literacy. The earlier a child is exposed to this the better they develop these skills. Another one of the advantages of exposing children to education so early that they become more open and passionate about learning.

At a preschool or creche children are encouraged to play outside or play sports. These activities are not only just fun but they are also good for a child’s physical development. Unfortunately, many children who don’t attend creche don’t get to do much physical activity. 

Why Should I Study Educare Courses?

Being an Educare teacher can be a very difficult job, but it is also incredibly rewarding. You will be part of shaping young minds, helping to build the future. Studying Educare courses also open up other possibilities. You can look into becoming a qualified preschool teacher or even opening your own creche. 

Where can I Study Educare Courses

Many different colleges and companies offer Educare courses which can make it quite difficult to decide which one is the right one to choose. To make the decision easier, you will need to sit down and think about your needs and what is possible for you. Can you study full-time? Can you afford the course? These are just some of the questions you will need to ask yourself. 

If you don’t have the time to study full-time or the courses are too expensive, you don’t need to give up. There is still hope! You can also study Educare courses through distance learning. This means that you can study your course from the comfort of your own home. There are many distance learning colleges that offer Educare courses. One such distance learning college is Skills Academy. 

Skills Academy’s Educare Courses

Skills Academy offers a variety of childcare courses that you can study. They have both accredited and provider programmes available. The accredited programme that they offer is a full National Diploma course. Their provider programmes cover a range of different topics. 

National Diploma in Educare

The National Diploma in Educare is a full three-year diploma course that is accredited by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO). The course is broken down into three levels namely, N4, N5, and N6 level. 

Each level takes 12 months to finish and you have to progress from one to the next. This means you cannot do an N5 course without having completed the N4 course. Before you can get your National Diploma, however, you will need to also do at least 18-months of practical work. This practical work can be done either during or after your studies are complete. 

The best way to do this is to get yourself an apprenticeship. Finding an apprenticeship can be difficult. Fortunately, the DHET has a program called iWIL in place which is there to help learners find apprenticeship opportunities. 

The qualification you will receive at the end of all three courses and your practical work is the National Diploma in Educare. The best thing about this qualification is the fact that it is a nationally recognised qualification. 

Other Child Care Course at Skills Academy

Skills Academy also has several other childcare courses that have been specially designed to give you the best skills possible in as short an amount of time as possible. They have ten different courses to study that cover topics such as First Aid, Creche Management, Child Psychology, and Child Day Care. 

These courses are perfect for someone who either wants to get an introduction to the field or who wants to sharpen their skills. The courses range from four months to 12 months long. 

Skills Academy also offers its students many other resources and services that no other distance learning college does. Skills Academy is dedicated to making education as affordable and accessible as possible. 

Want to Register?

If you are interested in shaping the minds of children and helping to shape the future then these are the courses for you. You can call Skills Academy toll-free on 0800 39 00 27 to speak to one of their consultants. Their consultants can give you all the information you need or help you register for your course. 

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