Early Learning and Care
with Special Needs Stage 2

INTRODUCTION:

If you’ve completed your Stage 1 Early Years, have a particular interest in children with special needs and wish to graduate with the Level 6 professional award then this is the course for you. Young minds and hearts depend on the professionalism of those who care for and educate them and children with extra needs deserve the best.

Students will undertake 150 hours of Professional Practice in a minimum of 2 early Years of Early Years settings per annum. The settings will include birth -2 yrs 8 months, and 2 yrs 8 months to 6 years. All Professional Practice placements must be carried out with an ELC provider currently registered with Tusla. Learners must be garda vetted before going on the placement. Embedded in this course are extra training opportunities.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS:

• Learners can progress to the ELC Level 6 award if they have achieved the ELC Level 5 award.
• Recognition of Prior Learning is available for advanced entry. Please contact RPLELC@morrisonsislandcampus.ie for more information.
• Participants are required to be Garda Vetted. Police Clearance is required for non-Irish Nationals.
• An offer of a place on this course is contingent on the applicant meeting the entry requirements set out here and satisfactory presentation at interview.

DURATION:

September to May (1 Year).

FEES:

See fees & payment for details.

CERTIFICATION

• QQI Advanced Certificate in Early Learning and Care (6M21471).

COURSE CONTENT (LEVEL 5 CERTIFICATE)

ADDITIONAL TRAINING / WORKSHOPS

• Blackrock Castle Observatory Field Trip – A morning excursion using a science perspective, to incorporate Aistear Siolta interconnected themes describing children’s learning and development with Well-being; Identity and Belonging; Communicating; and Exploring and Thinking. Equipping students with the skills/resources to think outside the box about how they could bring more scientific creativity into their settings.
• Child Paths Training Certificate – Students continue their learning on use of the Child Paths Educational Software App in a more enhanced manner. The students gain a better understanding of the features within it in a more detailed look with new features and updates that arise within it on a year-to-year basis, again to do with documenting children’s attendance, medicine administration, sleep, nappy changes, and using Aistear and PILES for the child’s overall holistic development. Students again get the hands-on experience to practice using the software as part of the training on college iPads or their own device. All students who successfully complete the programme receive a Certificate of Completion from Child Paths and Morrison’s Island Campus. 
• Paediatric First Aid Training – The course gives the Early Years learner the knowledge and skills in Paediatric First Aid. The content includes the responsibilities of a First Aider, how to undertake CPR for Child and Infants and how to react in an emergency. Additionally, child and infant choking, bleeding first aid, dealing with unconscious children and infants, febrile seizures, Epilepsy, Diabetes and Asthma are also covered. Finally, meningitis and poisoning, fractures and soft tissue injuries and burns first aid is addressed. To successfully complete the course learners will have to demonstrate correct CPR practice and defibrillator use. At the end of the course the students will receive certification in paediatric first aid for two years.
• Football for All presentation (Coaching players with a disability) – This workshop develops a strong sense of disability awareness across a range of conditions, physical, sensory, etc. so that learners can ensure that children can have meaningful participation in football activities. The content includes an overview of conditions – physical, sensory etc.
• ELC Student Conference in association with Cork City Childcare – An off campus opportunity where our students can mix with and learn from current ELC professionals.Topics discussed are broad and wide and vary from year to year.Previous speakers ranged from Interactive Arts Piece – The Simplicity of Paper as an Early Year’s creative arts medium to AIM and the role of the AIM worker in an EY setting.
• Manual Handling Training and Certification (requirement for work experience) – This training is mandatory for person’s involved in manual handling tasks. It is required by legislation under The Safety Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulation 2007 Part two chapter four. The training involves the theory module which is completed online (HSELanD.ie) and the practical module which is classroom based. The certificate obtained is valid for three years. Manual Handling training course delivers the proper techniques for lifting, carrying, loading, pushing and pulling various tasks or loads to reduce the risk of injury to the worker. The need to avoid manual handling by using mechanical aids where possible will also be demonstrated. It provides the skills to identify risks with various handling tasks. 

WORK PLACEMENT / EXPERIENCE

Students will undertake 150 hours of Professional Practice in a minimum of 2 early Years of Early Years settings per annum. The settings will include birth -2 yrs 8 months, and 2 yrs 8 months to 6 years. All Professional Practice placements must be carried out with an ELC provider currently registered with TUSLA. Learners must be garda vetted before going on the placement. Learners must complete the current Children First E-Learning programme before going on placement.

EDUCATION PROGRESSION OPPORTUNITIES

Progressions currently being negotiated at national level, including advanced progressions.

Go to our progressions database for exact requirements on progressions for this course.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Supervisory roles in Early Years Services and within organisations which require leaders to manage & provide childcare places, i.e. charities, hotels etc. SNA positions in primary schools.