Specialist Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education (With Exemption)

Action Research

• This module will be based on knowledge and skills gained from “Current Issues and Research in Preschool Education” and “Introduction to Teacher as Researcher”; students will continue to understand theoretical terms such as Ethics, Validity and Reliability in Action Research.
• Further, prepare informed consent decree, understand data analysis both quantitative and qualitative. Implement the action research study, understand the implications of the findings and finally write up the report.

Administration & Management of Programmes for Young Children

Designed to introduce students to concepts in management and administration of programs for young children in preschool settings. Students will obtain an overview of the general operations of a childcare centre and kindergarten that include financial management, legislation, safety and health issues, local policies and operation procedures.

Building Family and Community-Centred Partnerships

• Designed to help students understand the purpose and importance of supporting children and families through parent education programmes. A variety and range of parent education and support programmes in the community will be discussed and reviewed.
• Students will learn to design simple group parent education programme that emphasizes on matching needs of the parents through hands-on learning.

Child Assessment and Programme Evaluation

Aims to help students to understand the important tenets of assessment for young children, the importance of authentic assessment and to develop children's portfolio assessment. Further it gives students an overall overview of various tools that can be used for assessment. The portfolio includes assessment in different curriculum areas, including language, numeracy, science, art, music and movement, cognitive and social development and facilitates opportunities for students to understand the ways of collecting, documenting and reporting for assessment.

Current Issues and Research in Early Childhood Care and Education

• Focuses on awareness of current issues and research in pre-school education.
• Students will learn to critically review and debate on recent research, policy issues and findings in child development, best practices of learning for young children, teaching practices for teachers, issues related to parents of young children and curriculum areas related to early childhood education.
• Students will also learn to critically appraise reports on Action Research, understand and identify various tools of data collection in reports and learn aspects of identifying database and literature sources.

Introduction to Teacher as Researcher

Focuses on how to determine research focus in their workplace, understanding research design and tools for collection, with emphasis on classroom action research in the area of early childhood education.In the process of understanding the meaning of research, students will understand the principles and characteristics of action research, learn to formulate research statement and questions and write up the related literature review.

Leadership in Early Childhood Education

• Designed to help students gain an understanding of the meaning of leadership and its functions, and to recognise the fundamental differences between leadership and management. Various concepts and skills in relationship to leadership will be studied.
• Different theoretical models of leadership styles will be examined. Students will also explore the issues and challenges that leaders are encountering in early childhood settings

Managing Early Childhood Resources

Developed to help students plan, select, collect and manage early childhood resources such as materials, educational, finances and IT resources within the centre. It also seeks to facilitate students to learn to tap on community resources to enhance pre-school programmes and support children and families.

Managing Quality Preschool Education Curriculum

• Provides an overview of quality in early childhood programmes and examines the different curriculum models including the Pre-school Curriculum Framework in Singapore.
• Students will learn the guiding principles and discuss issues pertaining to planning and managing anti-bias curriculum that is bilingual and developmentally appropriate.
• Students would also discuss the possibility of setting up inclusionary programs that promotes all children’s growth and development.

Professional Development as a Leader

• Designed to help leaders in the early childhood field to enhance their awareness of the global trend and current event in early childhood profession.
• In this module, students will further understand their professional roles as organizational and instructional leadership. They will also learn to write effective reports and proposals to various partners in the community. As leaders will also acquire knowledge and skills to manage stress and achieve work-life balance and harmony.

Staff Development and Supervision

Acquire knowledge of supervising other adults in an early childhood setting. This knowledge will enable them to accurately interpret the principles and processes of effective supervision and explore different issues, methods and models in supporting and assessing the professional development of staff in the setting.

Supervised Leadership Practice

The supervised practicum is designed to help students gain field experience in supervision and mentoring. It culminates the research and supervision theories and principles that students learn throughout the course and facilitates students to adopt a reflective supervisory approach in their field practice. Students will also apply the theories and principles in their respective work settings and experience guided supervision practice till the end of their course.

• Course fee after 70% Funding - $2,696.40 (includes 7% GST)

Note: Up to 95% Funding applicable (Terms and Conditions Apply)

Late Payment Charges

As and when required by lecturers

REFUND POLICY % of the aggregate amount of the Course Fees and Additional Fees paid