Foundation Degree Early Years

Course description
What is early years?
Early years (from 0–5years) is considered by many to be the most important phase of a child's life and the development that they go through during this time ensures a good foundation stage on which the rest of their lives depend. It is vital that all early years practitioners ensure that they know as much as possible about developmental stages and milestones as this enables them to engage with very young children and their families.
This sector endorsed foundation degree is ideal if you are a childminder, early years practitioner working in either a mainstream or special school, manager or advisor working in the early years sector, with a focus on services for children aged 0–5 years. This course is also beneficial if you are an outreach, involvement or portage worker.
You need to be employed in an early years setting during the course as emphasis is placed on work-based learning. The main aims are to
• reflect the DfE aim to develop a common set of skills and knowledge across the children and young people’s workforce
• support transitions of staff across services and professional groupings
During the course you complete modules relating to how children learn and develop, working with families, developing quality indoor and outdoor environments and ensuring that all children are able to be involved in decision making in early years settings. You get the opportunity to study inclusive practice and international perspectives of working with young children by investigating and comparing and contrasting curriculums from other countries in the world.
You also examine your own academic and professional development. This ensures that you can reflect on new learning and that it is embedded into your everyday practice.