Child Care Programme
Our Child Care Programme is a 12-week (8 weeks theory & practical training on-campus plus 4 weeks work integrated learning training) elective and covers topics such as child development, perception challenges, creative activities, age-appropriate literature for different stages of childhood development, child abuse, school readiness, baby care, preparing a balanced meal, and a range of other related topics. You will also be able to complete a certified two-day Level 1 First Aid course before you embark on the 4-week work-integrated learning opportunity which will provide you with practical work experience at Child Care institutions.
One of the most empowering things about our training is that we teach our students how to use recyclable materials from their environments during creative activities for their learners, making it possible for them to work in under-resourced communities by using easily available materials in their environments. We also hold an exhibitions after the programme to showcase the educational materials made by the students.
Many of our qualified students obtain work at crèches, as day care mothers, as child minders or au pairs.
Our modules cover the following:
- Child development
- Child literature
- Assessing school readiness
- Identifying perception problems
- First Aid for children
- Baby care
- Preparing a balanced meal
- Making educational toys
- Using music and movement
- Using creative activities
- Doing needlework
- Identifying child abuse
- Basic mathematics and literacy
- Organisation and planning
Erna Smith (middle) looking after the Serdyn children, Pierre (left) and Petrus.
“It’s a lot of fun to work with children, because you learn something new from them every day. It’s just not possible to work with children and not learn something from them.”
– Erna Smith, a private child carer looking after the three young children of the Serdyn family in Stellenbosch