Understanding Creche And Creche Courses
Before taking on creche courses, you first need to understand what exactly is the purpose of creche and why we study creche management.
What Is The Purpose Of A Creche?
A creche is there to provide a safe place for parents or guardians to leave their children, usually infants or toddlers, for short periods of time while they are busy. In a creche children have their basic needs met.
Creche workers ensure that these children are being fed, properly rested and overall well looked after. Although there may be playtime to keep the children entertained, its primary purpose doesn’t involve fostering a stimulating learning environment.
What Is A Creche Course?
A creche course is designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge to effectively look after children in a creche setting. This can include things such as basic first aid, learning effective communication both with children and parents, etc.
Creche Courses Online
At Skills Academy, we offer three different Creche Management courses to choose from. All of our courses are offered via distance learning. This allows you to study from the comfort of your own home, as long as you have an internet connection.
Distance learning offers more benefits than simply studying from where you feel most comfortable. Other benefits include:
- Study at your own pace
- Lower overall costs of studies
- Balance your studies with other commitments
Our Creche Management courses are designed in such a way that they do not build on each other. This means that you can choose to do any of the three courses without needing any previous childcare experience/qualifications.
Let us have an in-depth look at exactly what these courses have to offer:
Creche Management Short Course
Our Creche Management Short Course is a 4-month course that covers the subjects below:
| Subject | Description |
|---|---|
| Introduction to Business English | English language skills are important to have in almost every industry. That’s why we offer Introduction to Business English as a subject to all of our students. After completion you will be more confident in your speaking and writing ability |
| Face-to-Face Communication | This subject will teach you to understand the impact of face-to-face contact, and to familiarise yourself with people’s behaviours and to use it to your advantage. Practice your non-verbal skills improving your verbal skills to get your message across. Adapt these skills to function cross-culturally |
| The field of Creche Management and Human Resources | This subject covers the administrative duties you will need to perform as a creche manager or owner. It teaches you about managing staff and the law that surrounds creche management |
Creche Management Certificate Course
This certificate course is an 8-month course that covers topics offered in the short course, plus the ones below:
| Subject | Description |
|---|---|
| Customer Satisfaction | You will be in the service industry and Customer Satisfaction will teach you how to keep parents happy. Learn how to deal with difficult customers, solve problems, and build relationships |
| First-Aid Concepts | Accidents may occur while a child is in your care. Make sure you know the basics to help save a life and relieve their pain |
Creche Management Comprehensive Certificate Course
Our comprehensive course is a 12-month course that covers subjects offered in the certificate course plus the ones below:
| Subject | Description |
|---|---|
| Time Management | This is an essential skill to have, no matter your profession. Organise your time and learn how to create daily schedules to make sure you meet deadlines. This subject will help you when you need to create a learning plan |
| Quality Child Care and Starting Your Own Creche | Learn what it takes to become a successful creche manager. This subject will teach you how to manage the learning environment in a creche, financial management and more |
Creche Courses Requirements
We understand the importance of quality education that is also as accessible as possible. That is why our entry requirements for the Creche Management courses are kept as simple as possible.
Entry Requirements
- Be 16 years old
- Be able to understand, write and read English
- Be willing to study via distance learning
Working In A Creche
Working in a creche is an incredibly rewarding career that does come with a lot of responsibility. Becoming a creche teacher or manager is a great way to make a positive impact on the lives of young children.
What Is The Job Of A Creche Teacher?
A creche teacher is in charge of looking after young children for short periods of time while their parents are busy. Their duties include:
- Feeding infants and toddlers
- Changing and cleaning children when needed
- Keeping a clean and safe environment
- Keeping children entertained
- Making sure that they receive a good balance between play and rest
How Do I Become A Creche Teacher?
Becoming a creche teacher and looking after children comes with a lot of responsibility and you will need to be properly qualified and experienced to handle that responsibility.
- Getting relevant qualifications– Getting the proper qualifications makes sure that you have the knowledge and skills to properly care for the children you will be looking after.
- Experience– Getting hands-on experience through volunteering or internships can help you put your skills to the test before starting your career.
What Qualifications Do I Need To Be A Creche Teacher?
At Skills Academy, our Creche Management Certificate course is the perfect way to get qualified to be a creche teacher. This course comes with a subject that covers first aid, cutting out the need to take a separate first aid course completely.
If you are looking for similar qualifications why not check out some of our other courses that give you the same level of qualification?
What Is The Role Of A Manager In A Creche?
As a manager in a creche, you take on a lot of important responsibilities. These include:
| Responsibility | Description |
|---|---|
| Hiring and training | As a manager, you will be in charge of hiring and training new creche teachers and personnel. This includes doing background checks and ensuring they have the right qualifications and experience |
| Monitoring | You will be responsible for monitoring staff and making sure that follow policies and procedures and disciplining where necessary, as well as supervising children |
| Admin | One of your responsibilities would be to handle administrative duties, such as financial records, child files, business records etc. |
| Communication | Foster good communication between parents, with updates and/or issues about their children while they are in the care of the creche |
| Compliance | A manager is responsible for making sure that the creche complies with health and safety regulations at all times. |
Requirements And Qualifications To Open A Creche
Thinking about opening your very own creche but not sure how exactly to do that? Here we give you all the steps and information on how to run a successful one.
Can I Open A Creche Without Qualifications?
No, you cannot open a creche without qualification. The good news is that taking and completing our Creche Management Certificate course will give you the necessary skills and knowledge to open a creche.
What Are The Requirements For Opening A Creche?
Opening a creche requires more than just the proper qualifications. You would have to meet some requirements to be able to run a creche legally.
- Health and safety compliance
- Zoning and location approval
- Staff background and qualification checks
- Fire safety compliance
- Compliance with the Children’s Act
- Register your business
Health And Safety Compliance
Your creche should comply with strict health and safety standards to ensure the best environment for the children. This means ensuring that your creche is clean, sanitary, and safe for children. Here is a checklist of all the things you will need to do to meet these standards:
- Make sure that all play areas are free from any hazards
- Maintain clean and sanitary facilities, including toilet facilities
- Your drinking water must be safe to drink
- Make sure there is enough space and fresh air based on the number of children you will be taking care of and staff
- A clean food preparation area
- Make sure that there is proper division of age for the children’s safety
- Have a plan of action for emergencies
- Make sure that there are enough bins for the size of your facility
Zoning And Location Approval
To be able to operate your creche facility you will need to get zoning approval from your local municipality. This approval makes sure that your location is fit to run a creche and that it doesn’t conflict with local zoning laws.
Keep in mind that this also applies even if you want to start a creche from your own home.
Fire Safety Compliance
For your creche to be approved to operate, you will need to get a fire safety certificate. This certificate shows that you have met all fire safety regulations and can only be obtained after a thorough expectation from your local fire department
Compliance With The Children’s Act
One of the most important things your creche must do is to comply with the Children’s Act. This Act ensures that the rights and protections of children are being adhered to.
To comply with this act, your facility must provide a safe environment that ensures proper supervision and that you adhere to child protection policies.
Staff Background And Qualifications Check
Everyone who works in the creche, including yourself should have the necessary qualifications and a clear background check. This ensures that everyone working in your facility are able to properly care for the children in their care.
This is also a requirement when you are registering your creche with the Department of Social Development
Register Your Business
For your creche to operate legally you need to register your business with two different bodies, the Companies And Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) and the Department of Social Development (DSD).
While you are running a childcare facility, your creche is still a business and it must be registered with the CIPC. In order for your creche to operate legally, you need to register it with the DSD, this certificate ensures that your facility meets the requirements to properly take care of children.
How Do I Register A Creche?
To register your creche you will need to go to your nearest DSD office and get Form 11 which must be completed. This form requires you to submit many documents along with your application before submitting.
To make sure you have everything you need here is a checklist to help you when applying, according to government policies.
Filling Out The Form
- Your ID number, personal address, and telephone number/s
- The physical and postal address of your creche
- The number of children your creche can accommodate
- Your personal qualifications, skills, and experience
- A description of the services you are going to provide, including aims and objectives
Documents To Be Submitted
- A business plan including the business hours, fee structure, staff composition, disciplinary policy, name of the creche, and composition, powers and duties of the management
- An original copy of the approved building plans
- An emergency plan
- A clearance certificate
- A health and safety certificate from the local municipality
How Do I Get A Certificate For A Creche?
Once you have submitted your registration application to the DSD, it will be evaluated and a site inspection will be conducted. Once all the requirements have been met according to the inspection, you will receive your certificate, which must be displayed clearly in your creche.
How Much Does It Cost To Start A Crèche?
The cost of starting a creche differs depending on the location and size of the facility. The costs can range between R20 000-R100 000. Let us take a look at all the costs involved in running a creche facility:
| Cost | Description |
|---|---|
| Overhead costs | These include things such as rent, water and electricity, business licensing, and fixed salaries |
| Supplies and equipment | This will include, furniture such as cots, changing tables and bins, cleaning supplies, nappies, wipes, food and other day-to-day supplies |
| Child Entertainment | Although children are only in your facility for short amounts of time your job still requires you to keep them entertained. Things such as toys, toddler books, playmats, puzzles etc are still a cost |
| Staff | Depending on your business plan you may have staff that do not have fixed salaries that you have to add to your costs |
| Other | These cover costs people generally overlook such as insurance and advertising |
Career And Qualification Outcomes
Getting a creche course qualification opens up many career opportunities and equips you with a whole new set of skills.
What Can You Do With a Creche Management Qualification?
Our creche management courses allow you to explore a wide range of new career opportunities within the childcare field.
Career Opportunities
Although the childcare field is very large, there are always jobs that are in demand. Let’s take a closer look at what a creche management course opens up for you.
- Creche Manager
- Daycare Worker
- Babysitter
- Nanny
- Au pair
- Daycare administrative
- Creche owner
Creche Manager
These courses provide you with the skills to be able to manage a creche with confidence, giving you everything you need to navigate the unpredictability of child care.
Daycare Worker
Our creche management courses don’t just give you the tools to work in a creche. The knowledge and skills you receive after completing can be directly applied to working in a daycare.
Babysitter
While being a babysitter does not necessarily need any qualifications, having a childcare-related qualification can help you appeal more to employers and increase your chances of getting regular job offers.
Nanny
Having a Creche Management Certificate Course on your CV gives possible employers a chance to see your extensive skills and why you would be a good nanny for their family.
Au Pair
Creche courses give you the necessary skills to become an au pair. Being a qualified au pair gives you worldwide opportunities and countless chances to become one for a family abroad.
Day Care Administrative
After completing a Creche Management Short course you will have the tools to efficiently handle all the administrative responsibilities that come with running a daycare facility.
Creche Owner
Certain creche courses such as our Creche Management Comprehensive Certificate Course, give you all the tools you need to be able to successfully run your very own creche.
What Skills Will You Learn?
Whether you are looking into a career in the child care industry or you just want to learn some skills up your parenting game, creche courses equip you with a wide range of skills
| Skill | Description |
|---|---|
| Patience | Working with children who are still developing comes with a lot of unpredictability and learning to deal with these situations will help develop your patience |
| Organisational | A career in child care will require you to organise daily tasks and schedules, which helps you practice and perfect your organisational skills |
| Compassion and empathy | Young children often go through strong emotions that they sometimes do not understand, making it very important to have compassion and empathy |
| Problem-solving | Child care, as well as any career you choose to do, will always have unforeseen problems that require you to put on your thinking cap to come up with the best solutions |
Operations Within A Creche
After getting your qualifications your next step would be looking for a creche to work in. When looking for employment it’s best to know exactly what your new place of work entails.
What To Expect From A Creche?
As a creche worker, you will have a big responsibility of taking care of other people’s children. This means that parents and guardians have certain expectations from you and the creche.
- Play and exploration
- Social interactions
- Early learning experiences
- Meals
- Nap Times
- Support and communication
Play And Exploration
Although children are only in creche for short periods of time, keeping them entertained is still a standard requirement. Children are expected to have time to play and explore with age-appropriate activities while at creche.
Whether it is free play or structured play activities, these group play activities can help with their social and and creative development.
Social Interactions
One of the reasons why parents or guardians choose to place their children in a creche is to give them the opportunity to interact with other children who are around the same age as them.
Toddlers benefit from these early interactions with their peers and group play activities foster a stimulating social environment.
Early Learning Experiences
Depending on how long a child is in your care, you can be responsible for helping them with early learning experiences. These could include doing age-appropriate learning activities such as educational books, puzzles, and games.
Meals
The main thing you are responsible for is attending to the children’s basic needs such as food. This means giving those who are not on formula or milk, good nutritious meals when necessary.
Depending on the nature of the creche you work in, this food may be provided by the parent or guardian or by the creche itself.
Nap Times
At the ages between infancy and toddlers, rest is still a big part of their development. One of the responsibilities you have will be to ensure that they get proper rest while in your care
Support And Communication
Parents and guardians trust you with their children and therefore expect you to be there to assist their children during any situation that may come up and to foster good communication between the creche and its parents and guardians.
What Is The Best Age To Start Crèche?
The best age to start creche solely depends on the family. Each family has different needs and while some may prefer to spend more time with their young child, others are simply not able to and choose to send their child to creche from infancy.
How Long Does It Take A Baby To Get Used To Creche?
This depends on your child. Most children get used to the new schedule within a couple of weeks while others take longer.
However, there are many things you can do to make the transition to creche easier, such as:
- Packing a comfort item
- Get your child used to the idea of being away from you for short periods
- Start a routine at home that mimics the creche schedule
Frequently Asked Questions
According to My Wage, the average childcare worker gets paid between R2 794 and R5 682 net per month.
A creche caters to children between the ages of infancy and toddlers for short periods of time while their parents are busy, while a daycare caters to children from infancy up until pre-school for longer hours, usually a full work day
