Early Childhood Education and Care – Higher Certificate

This module introduces curriculum theory for early childhood education, emphasising learner‑centred, inclusive, experiential curricula and process quality in professional practice. It focuses on exploring current curriculum models and critically comparing the Irish national frameworks Aistear and Síolta in terms of their principles, structure, content and potential to support quality experiences for young children.

This module examines the central role of play in early childhood education, highlighting how children learn through play and hands-on experiences. It develops students’ understanding of play types, characteristics and children as active learners, and supports them to reflect on their attitudes and apply effective pedagogical strategies in their early years practice.

The purpose of this module is to examine the role of physical activity and movement in the overall development of young people, with the intention of promoting physical activity in the early years. It equips the student with the competencies, knowledge and skills required for planning, implementing and evaluating physical activity and movement opportunities for children during the early years.

This module introduces the Sociology of Childhood as a lens to critically examine childhood as a social construction, highlighting how ideas of childhood vary across time, place and culture and how children both shape and are shaped by their social worlds. It engages learners with key theories, debates and substantive issues (such as childhood and criminality, consumption, risk, work and family), encouraging them to analyse dominant and alternative understandings of childhood and consider their implications for practice.

This module is designed to introduce students to the process of speech & development in early years. The pattern and stages of language development ( including, phonological, morphological, syntactic, semantic and pragmatic language development). The role of the adult and the interactional strategies encompassed in early years practice will also be considered in relation to promoting the language learning opportunities for young children. Areas such as speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) in the early years, bilingualism and multilingualism in the early years will also form part of this module delivery.

This module develops learners’ understanding of childcare and wellbeing in contemporary society, with an emphasis on holistic, multicultural perspectives and the lifelong impact of lifestyle choices on children’s health. It examines the role of multiple agencies in promoting health and wellbeing and builds students’ awareness of child health and care needs, including paediatrics, childhood illnesses, developmental milestones and relevant policies and procedures.

This module introduces key theories and concepts in the psychology of child development from birth to six years, framed within a holistic view of physical, cognitive, social and emotional growth. It examines the roles of play and attachment in early development, helping students understand how these processes support young children’s overall development.

This module examines the educator’s pedagogical role in supporting young children’s learning through play and exploration, with a particular focus on recognising and responding to schematic play as ‘patterns of repeatable behaviour’. It develops students’ skills in observing, assessing and planning for children’s schema-based learning, while also enhancing their academic skills through engagement with multimedia resources.

This module enhances students’ self-awareness of their values and beliefs to foster professionalism as early years educators preparing for Practice Education Placement (1). It covers key areas of child development (birth to six years), the educator’s supportive role, observation methods for assessing learning, ethical practice, safeguarding, and practical placement preparation including CVs and Garda vetting.

This module introduces students to creative arts elements—visual arts, music, drama, and dance—through experiential, process-led workshops guided by Aistear and Síolta regulations. It explores developmentally appropriate arts learning to foster children’s cognitive, social, emotional growth and critical thinking, emphasising the educator’s role as a facilitator of creative play provocations.

This module promotes awareness of outdoor learning environments as key resources for young children’s wellbeing, physical activity, literacy and social-emotional growth through natural interactions. It explores relevant theories like Forest School, alongside opportunities to assess risk and resilience in outdoor play and learning.

This module enables students to integrate theory and practice through supervised placements in Early Childhood Education and Care settings, working supernumerarily with children under six to link theoretical frameworks to real-world facilitation of learning and development. It fosters critical reflection, competency development and identification of preferred practice areas under experienced professional guidance.

This module equips early childhood education students with knowledge and skills to deliver authentic STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) experiences for preschoolers through play, exploration, and inquiry-based activities initiated by children or educators. It emphasises the educator’s pivotal role, enhances pedagogical content knowledge via practical experimentation and evaluation, boosts digital literacy with relevant technologies, and links directly to Aistear themes, aims, goals and Síolta principles and standards.

This module explores drama, literature, storytelling, and puppetry as tools for fostering child development and creativity through play in early childhood settings. It connects these techniques to key theorists (Piaget, Montessori, Vygotsky, Froebel), encourages collaborative material development, and involves practical peer-led sessions to build students’ skills.

This module introduces inclusive practices in early years education, tracing the historical and policy shift from exclusion to inclusion while encouraging reflective examination of personal values, beliefs and potential biases. It covers ‘additional needs’ arising from disability, family background, ethnicity or health, alongside strategies for inclusive environments and curricula, with strong emphasis on parent partnerships for equitable diversity support.

This module explores how young children’s early transitional experiences, emphasised as supportive and smooth in Aistear and Síolta (2009), impact their wellbeing. It supports students to reflect on their role as pedagogical leaders in planning high-quality environments for positive transitions and to examine how these are embedded in early years policy and practice.

This module outlines the role of school-age childcare (ages 6-14) within the Irish context, highlighting its overlap with early childhood care skills and knowledge. It focuses on relevant policies and practices to create inviting, inclusive, and participative play spaces tailored to older children.

This module deepens students’ knowledge of optimal nutrition for young children’s holistic development, exploring factors influencing adequate diets, current issues like obesity, and conditions supporting flourishing at home and in settings. It examines health and wellbeing concepts, the impacts of ill health or disability, policy implications (including post-Covid challenges), the early years educator’s role in health promotion and child protection, and relevant services for families.