Early Years Educator – Advanced Apprenticeship

As an Early Years Educators, you will be a highly trained professional who will play a key role in ensuring that young children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe. You may work in a range of settings including full day care, children’s centres, pre-schools, reception classes and as childminders.

The qualification confirms competence in Early Years and serves as the required qualification (for all new practitioners) for registration and regulatory requirements in the early learning and childcare sector.

During this apprenticeship, you will be required to learn the following knowledge, skills and behaviours:

KNOWLEDGE:
– The significance of attachment and how to promote it effectively.
– How children’s learning and development can be affected by their stage of development and individual circumstances.
– The importance of promoting diversity, equality and inclusion.
– The potential effects of, and how to prepare and support children through, significant events in their lives.
– When a child is in need of additional support.
– The legal requirements and guidance on health and safety, security, confidentiality of information, safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.
– How to respond to emergency situations.
– Safeguarding policies and procedures, including child protection, recognise when a child is in danger or at risk of abuse, and know how to act to protect them.
– How to prevent and control infection.

SKILLS:
– Analyse and explain how children’s learning and development can be affected by their stage of development and individual circumstances.
– Promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice.
– Plan and lead activities, purposeful play opportunities and educational programmes.
– Ensure plans fully reflect the stage of development, individual needs and circumstances of children and providing consistent care and responding quickly to the needs of the child.
– Provide learning experiences, environments and opportunities.
– Encourage children’s participation, ensuring a balance between adult-led and child-initiated activities.
– Engage in effective strategies to develop and extend children’s learning and thinking.
– Support and promote children’s speech, language and communication development.
– Support children’s group learning and socialisation.
– Model and promote positive behaviours expected of children.
– Support children to manage their own behaviour in relation to others.
– Plan and provide activities to meet additional needs.
– Carry out and record observational assessment accurately.
– Identify the needs, interests and stages of development of individual children.
– Make use of formative and summative assessment, tracking children’s progress to plan next steps and shape learning opportunities.
– Discuss children’s progress and plan next stages in their learning with the key person, colleagues, parents and/or carers.
– Communicate effectively in English in writing and verbally.
– Engage in continuing professional development and reflective practice to improve own skills, practice, and subject knowledge.
– Plan and carry out physical care routines suitable to the age, stage and needs of the child.
– Promote healthy lifestyles.
– Undertake tasks to ensure the prevention and control of infection.
– Carry out risk assessment and risk management in line with policies and procedures.
– Maintain accurate and coherent records and reports.
– Identify and act upon own responsibilities in relation to health and safety, security, confidentiality of information, safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.
– Work co-operatively with colleagues and other professionals to meet the needs of babies and children and enable them to progress.
– Work in partnership with parents and/or carers.
– Encourage parents and/or carers to take an active role in the child’s play, learning and development.

BEHAVIOURS:
– Care and compassion
– Being team-focused
– Honesty, trust and integrity
– Commitment to improving the outcomes for children through inspiration and child-centred care and education.
– Work in a non-discriminatory way.
– Working practice take into account fundamental British values including democracy, the rule of the law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance.