Foundation Degree: Early Years Care

General information

Please note that for our part-time higher education courses you must apply directly to the University of Greenwich - unfortunately the College cannot accept online applications for HE courses.

This is a new type of higher education qualification designed to give access to Higher Education in Early Years, to ensure that the needs of employees and employers are most directly addressed. Quote "Foundation degrees were introduced by the DfES in 2000 to provide graduates who are needed within the labour market to address shortages in particular skills" www.qaa.ac.uk.

These qualifications are work related, user centred, a higher education qualification, combining technical skills, workplace skills and academic knowledge giving greater employability.

The advantages of such a qualification is that it has been developed collaboratively with employers, professionals and institutions. It is vocationally relevant, designed to meet the needs of a diverse workforce and validated by the University of Greenwich.

The part time route takes 3 years to complete and involves studying at college as well as being employed in an early years setting. It is a suitable progression route for those who work or who manage or who own pre school play groups, nurseries or day nurseries, breakfast clubs or after school provision or holiday clubs in the private, voluntary or independent sector or work as a child minder.

To access Unistats information regarding this course, click here. This information will be hosted at the bottom of this course page in the coming months.

Course content

The programme is made up of compulsory and optional courses. The mandatory courses comprise of work related projects, study skills and knowledge of codes of practice, ethics and law but also involve case studies and presentation of research.

Early Years part time route Year 1/2

Mandatory courses include:

• Academic skills (core skills for studying at higher education)
• Work-based learning (carried out in the working environment with the mentor)
• Introduction to Childcare Policy
• Managing business resources in childcare settings

Optional courses (2 to be completed)

• Language and the child
• Concepts of social and emotional development

Year 2/3

• Work based learning 2
• Introduction to the Research Process
• Law and the child
• Ethics of childcare
• Managing the Daycare and Residential environment

Optional courses (2 to be completed)

• Health Promotion in an Early Years setting
• Children in Society

This part time route includes courses amounting to 90 credits per year and 60 credits in the final year totalling 240 credits. It includes attendance at college for one regular day per week for the duration of the programme.

Teaching and assessment

A variety of teaching methods is used which includes; case studies, scenarios, peer and group work, discussions, presentations, projects and assignments.

These courses require the student to learn in a variety of ways and to become an independent learner using research gained from articles in books, magazines and journals and the internet.

Entry requirements

1 A Level or equivalent vocational Level 3 qualification such as NVQ3 or BTEC National Diploma and GCSE A-C English. All applicants will be interviewed. You must be aged 18+ at the start of the course and working or volunteering in an early years setting for a minimum of two days a week for the duration of the course. Employment in after school and breakfast clubs is not suitable for the purposes of this degree.

You will need CRB clearance.

Progression

BA degree programmes at University of Greenwich in related fields such as Early Years Childhood Studies, Social Care, Health and Social Care or Health. Please note: this programme does not provide progression to the BA in Social Work or Nursing degrees.

Dates and times

This programme will be offered one full day per week. Year 1 will run on Wednesdays from 9am to 5pm.