GMIT’s Department of Nursing, Health Sciences, and Social Care has added a new course in its suite of early childhood education and care programmes, the new diploma in school age childcare (Level 7 ), the first such course to be offered in Irish third-level colleges.
The innovative academic programme was designed in consultation with stakeholders in the school age childcare (SAC ) and early learning and care (ELC ) sector. One hundred and five participants took part in the consultation process representing 89 SAC and ELC organisations.
School age childcare became a regulated service in February 2019, requiring providers of school age childcare services to register with Tusla, the national Child and Family Agency. The programme will support the upskilling of professionals working in this area, meeting employers’ requirements outlined during the stakeholder consultation process with GMIT.
The programme will be delivered using a blended approach (online and one Saturday a month ) at GMIT’s Mayo campus over one academic year and is designed to be accessible to individuals already working full-time in this sector. Modules include leadership, psychology, digital technologies, relationships, nature pedagogy, and play.
Justin Kerr, head of the School of Health Science, Wellbeing and Society, GMIT Mayo, said: “The team are to be congratulated on developing a highly innovative, learner-centred programme that school age children richly deserve and reflects the market. I am very proud of the hard work and rich consultation our team conducted with stakeholders in this discipline and to see this programme come to fruition”.
For further details, see www.gmit.ie/nursing-health-sciences-and-social-care/diploma-school-age-childcare or email [email protected].
Direct applications for the course can be made to GMIT at www.gmit.ie/apply/direct-applications The deadline for direct applications is Wednesday, June 16, at 5pm. The programme code is GA_SACHC_S07.
The new course complements the suite of early childhood education and care courses offered by GMIT’s Department of Nursing, Health Sciences, and Social Care. The BA in early childhood education and care courses will be delivered at the Galway campus (in addition to the Mayo campus ) from September 2021. Early years educators or other applicants with a full award at QQI Level 6 in Childcare or equivalent may apply directly to GMIT for direct entry into Year 2.
For further course information about the BA in early childhood education and care, see www.gmit.ie/nursing-and-social-care/bachelor-arts-hons-early-childhood-education-and-care or email [email protected].
