BA (Honours) in Early Childhood

If you currently work with children from birth to seven years or are looking to learn more about young children’s lives and experiences, this degree could be of interest to you. You’ll investigate early childhood from national and international perspectives with a focus on the central importance of children’s voices and the participatory nature of young children’s experiences. You’ll also gain an understanding of early childhood in diverse social, cultural and multi-disciplinary contexts.

Key features of the course

• Professionally and vocationally relevant across many early childhood contexts
• Takes a holistic approach to understanding early childhood from a range of perspectives
• Covers young children’s play and creativity within the context of the family and early childhood settings
• Encourages critical understanding and reflection on contemporary issues and debates in early childhood

Please note: in England, this course does not provide Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS) or Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and in Scotland, this course does not lead to SSSC registration in daycare of children’s services. GCSE requirements may affect eligibility. See the Careers section for further details.

We also offer a Diploma of Higher Education in Early Childhood (W50) that is the same in structure as the first two-thirds of this degree; similarly, our Certificate of Higher Education in Early Childhood (T26) corresponds to the first third.

Accessibility

We make all our qualifications as accessible as possible and have a comprehensive range of services to support all our students. The BA (Honours) in Early Childhood uses a variety of study materials and has the following elements:

• studying online – some modules have a mixture of printed and online material, and others are entirely online. Online learning resources may include websites, audio/video media clips, and interactive activities such as online quizzes
• face-to-face tutorials/day schools/workshops and/or online tutorials
• working in a group with other students
• practical work
• finding external/third party material online
• using technology for research purposes involving access to catalogues and databases online
• continuous and end-of-module assessment in the form of essays, short answer questions, and in some cases an examination
• using feedback: continuous assessment involves receiving detailed feedback on your work from your tutor and using this feedback to improve your performance
• engagement with learning and assessment within a pre-determined schedule or timetable – time management will be needed during your studies and the University will help you to develop these skills throughout your degree.

This qualification develops your learning in four main areas:

• Knowledge and understanding
• Cognitive skills
• Practical and professional skills
• Key skills

The level and depth of your learning gradually increase as you work through the qualification. You’ll be supported throughout by the OU’s unique style of teaching and assessment – which includes a personal tutor to guide and comment on your work; top quality course texts; e-learning resources like podcasts, interactive media and online materials; tutorial groups and community forums.

Course details

This qualification has three stages, each comprising 120 credits.

• You’ll start Stage 1 with two modules that explore how children learn; and the importance of children’s play.
• Then, in Stage 2, you’ll study a module that further develops and broadens your knowledge and understanding of young children’s lives and learning, followed by one from a list of options.
• Finally, in Stage 3, you’ll complete your degree with two further modules – one that focuses on the development of a multidisciplinary professional workforce for children and one that will introduce you to a range of research methods and analytical techniques.