Early Years Educator

Overview

The occupation of an Early Years Educator is found in a range of maintained and private, voluntary, and independent settings such as full day care, children's centres, pre-schools, reception classes, playgroups, nursery schools, home based provision, hospitals, social care settings, out of school environments, and local authority provision.

The broad  purpose of the occupation is to provide high quality early education and care to children. Through an evidence based approach, they provide opportunities and learning experiences for all children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Early Years Educators follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) requirements set by government for the learning, development, and care of children  from birth to 5 in both indoor and outdoor environments.

In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with  children, parents, carers, colleagues, and wider multi agency  professionals such as health visitors, early help services, social  workers, and speech and language therapists. This includes supporting  children with SEND.

An employee in this occupation will be responsible for ensuring a safe and secure environment for children's learning. They ensure that the learning environment and provision is inclusive and supports all children, and demonstrate a clear understand of equality, diversity, and inclusion. Early years educator's teach and  facilitate children's learning play. They apply the observation, assessment, and planning cycle to support progress and children's development. An early years educator will act as the key person for one  or more children within their setting. They may play a leadership role  within the setting or may act under the supervision of a manager.

Typical Job Titles Include

Childminder Assistant, Early Years Educator, Early Years Worker, Nursery Educator, Nursery Nurse, Nursery Worker.

Need More Info?

This Assessment standard is currently in revision by Skills England, and NQual are working hard on developing assessment resources to provide to training providers. These resources will give more clarity to the approach NQual will be taking in delivering assessments for this standard. 

To access a more in-depth exploration of the NEW Early Years Educator Level 3 standard and its Assessment process, sign-up for access to our information webinar.

For further details, you can view our Apprenticeship Assessment standard page or get in contact with our Robert Herriot (rherriot@nqual.co.uk).