At some point in your life you may have come across the term educare. Be it while driving past a building with the words educare written on it, or while looking up courses to study after matric. But what exactly is Educare?
What are Educare Courses all About?
Educare refers to the practice of taking care of children. It simply means to educate and to care. While parents or guardians are off to work or busy running errands, they need to place their trust in someone to look after their little ones. And believe it or not, a lot goes into looking after children than supervising them while they watch cartoons.
Learn how to Care for Children
Looking after children is a huge responsibility, one that not everyone is equipped to do. Not everyone has these skills, but with the right course and a genuine interest you could easily pick them up. There are a lot of elements you will learn that contribute to properly taking care of children. This includes food and nutrition, educational psychology, child health and more.
Become the Hero They Need
Not all heroes wear capes. In the eyes of little ones, you can either be the hero or the villain. So choose your narrative. Be the one that takes care of them when they fall from the jungle gym, scrape their knees, or when they are being dropped off by their parents. Being the hero also sometimes entails wiping snotty noses and dirty faces.
Help With Their Development
The first years of their lives will influence the rest of their lives. So play a positive role in theirs. Unfortunately, a lot of parents miss out on their children’s milestones. But you can be the one to witness it and even encourage their development. Educare courses deal with psychological development, but also teaches you how to encourage their growth through song and play.
Educare and Child Day Care – What’s The Difference?
When doing your research on courses, you will come across the terms child day care and educare. But before making a decision, you should know that these courses are not the same.
Educare -If you’re looking for an accredited national qualification, then this is your best bet. Students who have a matric or equivalent qualification may enrol for these courses.
Child Day Care – Never finished matric but want to further your education? Child day care courses are provider programmes that focus on skills-based learning.
Where can I Study Educare Courses?
A career in educare is exciting and rewarding. But before you can reap the benefits, you need to make an important decision – where to study? You can have quite a few options when it comes to studying in South Africa, but not every institution offers educare.
Technikons – Colleges and Technikons used to be the only places that offered educare courses. But over the years more and more colleges have been established and now offer these courses. The only problem is that students often have to relocate or seats are limited.
Distance Learning – Make studying a little more convenient. Why relocate to another city to enrol for a course when you can simply learn from home? With distance learning you can cut down on costs by eliminating travel and relocation. There are many different distance learning courses available, but there are a few things you need to consider before making your decision.
How to Choose a College for Educare
When choosing a college for educare, you need to ask yourself what it is exactly you need or want from a course or college. Most colleges that aren’t owned by the government are businesses. They therefore need to deliver a service to their students. You can read reviews and testimonials online. Do your research on:
- College accreditation
- Student and academic support
- Response rate
- Past students
Can I Teach Preschool With Educare?
If you’ve considered studying educare, you’re probably wondering if you will qualify to work at a school. There is no guarantee that an educare qualification will land you a job as a preschool teacher. It will be easier for you to find employment as a preschool teacher at a private school, because public school might not accept you with this qualification. Most schools require teachers to have BTech or BeD qualifications. But there are some schools who are a bit more lenient and accepting. Your NATED qualification could land you a job as a preschool teacher, but it depends on the principle of the school.
What are my Career Options with Educare?
Studying educare doesn’t limit your career options. In fact, it allows you to pursue many careers in childcare. There are many options you can explore and even a chance for self-employment.
Explore Your Options Locally
Provide a service to your community. Are the daycare centres in your area overcrowded? Or is there a lack of childcare services on weekends or after hours? Use this as the opportunity to provide a solution to parents. You may even venture into starting your own business.
Expand Your Horizons Abroad
Keen on living abroad and escaping your basics everyday here in South Africa? There are multiple opportunities for you to explore. You can work on luxury cruise ships, hotels, lodges and resorts as a childcare worker. There’s also the chance to work as an au pair abroad. A lot of these jobs require you to have a certain number of hours experience, and you can get that by working locally first.
Learn the A to Z’s of Educare
Take one step further and learn even more about educare by enrolling for a course. You will get academic support and free access to our online study groups. Our friendly course experts will even walk you through our easy registration process. Give us a call on 0800 39 00 27 – it’s free. Or fill out this contact form for a call back.
