This course is dedicated to developing essential practical communication skills required in a professional context. Additionally, it serves as an introductory framework for documenting care-related actions in a manner that is meaningful to parents, guardians, and caregivers. Recognizing that communication is a critical skill for any professional in the early years sector, particularly for those in home settings, this course offers a deep dive into the nuances of effective communication. It emphasizes the importance of maintaining professionalism both online and in person. Moreover, it guides students through the procedures of securing work in a safe manner, adhering to professional boundaries, and addressing potential challenges they may encounter. The curriculum is structured to foster reflective thinking and aid students in carving out their professional identities. This endeavor aligns with the idea of continuous professional development, prompting students to introspect about their communication abilities, conflict resolution, response to feedback, and setting goals for their ongoing professional journey. The course targets to cultivate students' abilities to observe, reflect, and apply ethical considerations within their practice, essential for their lifelong learning and respect for children as the core of their professional activities. Reflecting on their approach to professional interactions and collaborative work will enable students to recognize their strengths, confront potential challenges, and pinpoint areas for personal improvement. Upon completion, students will have crafted a comprehensive narrative that encompasses ethical practices and insights from a child observation study. This narrative will not only affirm their development in individual competencies but also in the vital skill of collaborating effectively with parents, caregivers, and other professionals. The course ultimately aims to prepare students with a robust set of skills and competencies that are pivotal for their future roles as graduates in the field.

Learning Objectives:

1. Enhance Communication Skills: To develop advanced communication skills suitable for professional interactions within the early childhood sector, with a focus on clarity, empathy, and effectiveness.
2. Master Professional Documentation: To learn the principles and practices of documenting care-related activities in ways that are meaningful and informative to parents, guardians, and other caregivers.
3. Understand Online Professionalism: To comprehend and uphold professional standards in online communications and digital interactions, maintaining the same level of professionalism as in face-to-face engagements.
4. Learn Safe Work Practices: To acquire knowledge on the procedures for securing work in a manner that ensures safety and wellbeing for both the professional and the client.
5. Establish Professional Boundaries: To identify and maintain appropriate professional boundaries, understanding the balance between professional and personal spheres.
6. Navigate Professional Challenges: To prepare for and develop strategies to address potential challenges and conflicts that may arise in a professional context.
7. Cultivate Reflective Practice: To engage in reflective practice, evaluating one's communication style, response to feedback, and conflict resolution strategies to inform personal professional development.
8. Develop Ethical Considerations in Practice: To recognize and apply ethical considerations in day-to-day professional practice, emphasizing respect for children and their families.
9. Prepare for Collaborative Engagement: To enhance the ability to collaborate effectively with parents, caregivers, and colleagues, recognizing the importance of teamwork and shared goals in the early years sector.
10. Create a Professional Narrative: To construct a comprehensive professional narrative that integrates ethical practices and insights from child observation studies, showcasing development in individual competencies and the ability to collaborate effectively with others in the field.

It is fundamental that early years practitioners are aware of legislative and statutory guidance for safeguarding and know what to do if they suspect a child is at risk of harm, as well as having knowledge of factors that might place children more at risk. While safeguarding principles will occur throughout courses, the core principles will be covered with students before they venture into placement, assessing them on their familiarity with the key policies and processes of safeguarding. Practitioners are instrumental in keeping children safe and protecting them from harm. This course will help students to identify the signs and symptoms of child abuse alongside the key factors that might make children more vulnerable. As part of this, policy and procedure will be explored to develop understanding of these principles, with students recognizing their roles both as students and as qualified practitioners in ensuring that children in their care are and feel safe.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand Safeguarding Legislation: To familiarize students with the current legislative and statutory guidance on safeguarding children, ensuring they can identify their legal responsibilities.
2. Identify Risks of Harm: To enable students to recognize the various factors that may place a child at risk of harm and understand the complexities surrounding vulnerable children.
3. Recognize Signs of Child Abuse: To equip students with the knowledge to identify the signs and symptoms of different forms of child abuse.
4. Learn Safeguarding Procedures: To understand and apply the key policies and procedures involved in safeguarding, from initial concern to appropriate response.
5. Assess Vulnerability Factors: To assess and understand the key factors that contribute to children's increased vulnerability to harm.
6. Apply Policy in Practice: To enable students to translate safeguarding policy into effective practice within their placement settings.
7. Role of the Practitioner: To clarify the role and responsibilities of early years practitioners in safeguarding children, including reporting and follow-up procedures.
8. Engage in Reflective Practice: To engage in reflective practice regarding safeguarding, enabling students to critically evaluate and continuously improve their understanding and application of safeguarding principles.
9. Cultivate a Safe Environment: To develop the skills to create and maintain an environment where children are safe and feel safe, both physically and emotionally.
10. Professional Judgment and Decision-Making: To enhance students’ professional judgment and decision-making skills in relation to safeguarding, ensuring timely and appropriate actions are taken when concerns arise.

This course focuses on incredible changes that occur from conception; what happens in utero, the impact of birth; and the remarkable learning and development that occurs between birth and one year. From the moment an egg is fertilized to the end of baby’s first year, an incredible amount of growth, learning and development takes place at a phenomenal rate. This course will examine the wide-ranging growth, learning and development that occurs between conception and the end of baby’s first year from a holistic perspective, as well as considering steps to be taken in the event of atypical development. Students will work as a team to recognize and articulate the growth, learning and development that takes place, the significance of their role, and identifying and examining the influence of parents/carers and the wider context. They will critically reflect on how practitioners can work with families and the wider ecosystem, to inform and promote the holistic development of babies as they grow, with sensitivity and professionalism.

Learning Objectives:

1. Comprehend Prenatal Development: To understand the stages and significance of human development from conception to birth, including genetic, environmental, and maternal health factors that influence prenatal growth.
2. Analyze Birth's Impact: To examine the physiological and psychological impact of birth on both the newborn and the mother, and understand the transition from intrauterine to extrauterine life.
3. Explore Postnatal Growth Milestones: To identify and describe the key developmental milestones that occur in the first year of life, including physical, cognitive, emotional, and social growth.
4. Assess Developmental Variations: To recognize and evaluate typical versus atypical development within the first year, understanding the spectrum of what is considered normal and identifying potential signs of developmental concerns.
5. Evaluate Caregiver Roles: To assess the influence of caregivers in early development, including the effects of attachment, nurturing, and the caregiving environment on infant wellbeing.
6. Integrate Holistic Perspectives: To integrate holistic approaches that consider the child's environment, nutrition, and care in the assessment of early childhood development.
7. Apply Critical Reflection: To apply critical reflection in evaluating the roles of professionals and parents/carers in supporting early development, with a focus on identifying best practices.
8. Strategize Family and Community Engagement: To develop strategies for effectively working with families and the broader community to support the holistic development of infants.

The focus of this unit is to develop basic cooking skills, a fundamental knowledge of the nutritional values of the foods used, and the safety and hygiene skills needed to prepare meals. The aim of this course is to give students the basic knowledge, skills, and confidence to prepare simple nutritious meals and develop an awareness of main food groups. This unit will cover fundamental underpinning knowledge of the kitchen equipment and utensils and safe and hygienic practices when preparing food. The overall focus is on weaning and meal planning to ensure that children and babies have a balanced diet. As babies can indicate intolerances or allergies when introducing new foods, students will learn allergy awareness. Students will obtain basic knowledge, skills, and confidence to introduce appropriate foods in a safe and timely way to developmentally ready babies.

Learning Objectives:

1. Develop Basic Cooking Techniques: To cultivate basic cooking skills necessary for preparing simple, nutritious meals for young children and babies.
2. Understand Nutritional Values: To gain fundamental knowledge of the nutritional content of various foods, with a focus on those suitable for young children and babies.
3. Implement Safety and Hygiene: To learn and apply essential safety and hygiene practices in food preparation to ensure meals are safe for consumption.
4. Familiarize with Kitchen Tools: To identify and use various kitchen equipment and utensils appropriately while preparing meals.
5. Create Balanced Meal Plans: To develop skills in meal planning with an emphasis on creating balanced diets for children and babies.
6. Recognize Allergies and Intolerances: To understand allergy awareness and identify signs of food intolerances and allergies in babies when introducing new foods.
7. Practice Weaning Techniques: To acquire the knowledge and skills to introduce solid foods to babies in a developmentally appropriate and safe manner.
8. Build Confidence in Food Preparation: To enhance confidence in preparing and presenting nutritious meals that are age-appropriate and appealing to young children.
9. Assess Developmental Readiness for Foods: To assess and recognize the developmental signs that indicate when a baby is ready to start weaning and transition to solid foods.
10. Navigate Food Introduction Safely: To learn the proper techniques for introducing new foods to babies, ensuring a safe and positive experience that encourages healthy eating habits.