Advanced Early Childhood Care and Education (Special Needs)

• Child Development 6N1942 – Organise a variety of detailed observations in support of programme planning for individual and groups of children using a range of tools. Evaluate personal and team practice in meeting child development needs in an ECCE setting.
• Early Childhood Curriculum 6N1944 – Explore a range of learning approaches for children under 6 years. Examine Aistear, the National Curriculum Framework & Siolta, the National Quality Framework and link these to theorists like Froebel, Montessori, Steiner, Weikart and Malaguzzi. Discuss the factors that make a curriculum.
• Childhood Social Legal & Health Studies 6N1945 – Evaluate child protection guidance in relation to the protection of children and staff and learn to implement procedures for dealing with specific child protection issues. Reflect on how personal, cultural identity, attitudes and values can potentially impact on bias, discrimination and prejudice within ECCE settings. Evaluate a range of factors influencing and impacting on children’s health and wellbeing to include family structure, community, culture, education, health, social services and social status.
• Work Experience 6N1946 – Present a detailed personal skills audit and career plan including personal goals, action points, development opportunities and career paths. Demonstrate supervisory skills and capacities in the workplace.
• Team Leadership 6N1948 – Participate in organisational planning and teamwork planning to include setting, specific measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound (SMART) objectives. Demonstrate team leadership to include team building, supporting team members at different stages of team development, motivation strategies, interpersonal communications etc. Negotiate a plan with team members involving effective delegation of tasks and responsibilities. Lead progress on a work plan taking corrective action to ensure successful completion of the plan.
• Special Needs Assisting 6N1957
• Creative Studies for Special Needs 6N1972 – Students will explore their own creativity using a variety of techniques. Development of Creativity through experiential learning, promoting the senses, form the basis of the course
• Assistive Technology 6N2211 – This module will explore assistive technologies used in educational settings and their benefits in an integrated learning environment

Additional Training/Workshops

• Manual Handling Training and Certification (requirement for work experience): Manual handling training is required under Regulation 13 of the 1993 (General Application Regulations) and 1993 Manual Handling Regulations. This training programme is aimed at providing all persons at work with proper techniques when lifting, carrying, loading, pushing and supporting. It provides employees with good work practices such as proper lift Manual Handling Techniques. The course includes being aware of the necessity for safe methods of manual handling to reduce the risk of injury and understanding the need to avoid manual handling by using mechanical aids where possible. Furthermore, assessing the task using the TILE criteria (task, individual, load, environment) and implementing the correct method of lifting ensuring minimal risk to self and co-workers will also be included.  Finally, knowing how to safely execute all relevant workplace manual handling tasks will be demonstrated. A certificate will be issued to learners who successfully complete the course.
• Child Paths training certificate: This is an introductory workshop, for early years level 6 student on how to use the Childpaths Educational Software App.  Students are given an overview of how it was started and why.   Additionally, the students gain an understanding of the features within it, for example documenting children’s attendance, medicine administration, sleep, nappy changes, and using Aistear and PILES for the child’s overall holistic development. This content is demonstrated via videos showing the applications in action. Students then get hands-on experience to practice using the software as part of the training on college iPads. All students who successfully complete the programme receive a Certificate of Completion from Child Paths and Cork College of Commerce.
• Paediatric First Aid: The course gives the early years learner the knowledge and skills in Paediatric First Aid.  The content includes the responsibilities of a First Aider, how to undertake CPR for Child and Infants and how to react in an emergency.  Additionally, child and infant choking, bleeding first aid, dealing with unconscious children and infants, febrile seizures, Epilepsy, Diabetes and Asthma are also covered.  Finally, Meningitis and poisoning, fractures and soft tissue injuries and burns first aid is addressed. To successfully complete the course learners will have to demonstrate correct CPR practice and defibrillator use. At the end of the course the students will receive certification in paediatric first aid for two years.
• Football for All workshop (Coaching players with a disability): This workshop develops a strong sense of disability awareness across a range of conditions, physical, sensory, etc. so that learners can ensure that children can have meaningful participation in football activities. The content includes an overview of conditions – physical, sensory etc.  In addition, it includes an explanation on how to set up football tasks and a demonstration of the materials used – audible balls, hi vis vests.