Higher Certificate in Pre-School Education

The STADIO Higher Certificate in Pre-School Education is a formal qualification in early childhood development (ECD), aimed at people who want to work in an ECD centre, or who are already working and want to achieve a qualification on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). ECD is the phase between birth and Grade R (0–5 years), where the child’s foundational cognitive abilities, attitudes and skills develop. 

As an ECD practitioner, you play a vital role in developing young children. It is your care, oversight and attention to detail that will help little ones grow to their full potential.

FURTHER STUDY OPPORTUNITIES

Once you have successfully passed the Higher Certificate in Pre-School Education, you may continue your studies towards the Bachelor of Education in Foundation Phase Teaching or the Bachelor of Education in Intermediate Phase Teaching qualification. You will have to complete a bridging year, after which you will continue with your second year of studies in the Bachelor of Education in Foundation Phase Teaching or the Bachelor of Education in Intermediate Phase Teaching qualification. The credits will depend on the modules you elect in the Higher Certificate qualification.

What is Distance Learning?

THE ADMISSION CRITERIA FOR THE HIGHER CERTIFICATE IN PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION ARE:

• a Senior Certificate (SC); OR

• a National Senior Certificate (NSC), with a minimum of 40% in three modules including a Home Language, and a minimum of 30% in three other modules; OR

• a National Senior Certificate – Vocational Level 4 (NC(V)), 

with 

• a minimum of 40% in English Home Language or in English First Additional Language.

In addition, applicants will be required to submit a Teaching Affidavit with their application. You may download it HERE and submit upon application.

SCHOOL-BASED TEACHING PRACTICE 

Teaching practice is an integral part of teacher education that provides you with the opportunity to experience the excitement of a classroom environment and contributes to your professional development as a future teacher. Teaching practice is compulsory in the Higher Certificate in Pre-School Education programme. Various teaching practice assessment methods are used during this time to evaluate the student, including reports from the school, the school mentors, and your eventual Portfolio of Evidence. In addition, the SOE monitors and verifies the placement of all students at schools. 

It is the responsibility of the student to arrange for leave from an employer for the required number of weeks for teaching practice in schools. A student can only commence with teaching practice once the placement has been verified by the Teaching Practice Department of the SOE. 

Please note the following:
You will have to spend a total of 3 consecutive weeks (15 days) in a school under the supervision of a mentor teacher as part of your studies. You are required to attend the school from Monday to Friday for the full duration of the school day. You have to do teaching practice in Semester 2 in a pre-school in South Africa in a Grade 00 and/or Grade 000 and/or Grade R class. Transport costs to and from school are to the account of the student. 

If you are already employed at a pre-school, your pre-school must meet the minimum requirements for a functional school and your mentor teacher must be suitably qualified. You are required to provide a letter of employment from the school to the Teaching Practice Department. If your pre-school does not meet our minimum requirements or you don’t have a suitably qualified teacher in your school who can act as a mentor teacher, you will have to spend your teaching practice weeks in another pre-school. 

You will be required to video-record some lesson presentations and upload these to the Learning Management System for marking, so you have to ensure that you have a suitable tablet or laptop device with sufficient storage space and data, as stipulated in the Minimum System Requirements section of this Fact Sheet. 

You will receive full details of how your teaching practice sessions will work during the course of your studies.

To find out more about alternate access routes at STADIO, please click HERE

1. Design a daily programme for the effective teaching of the Pre-School child.

2. Facilitate the healthy development of a child from birth to Pre-School.

3. Recognise and advise on treatment of common childhood disease and social ills.

4. Identify and describe the stages of child development.

5. Carry out the duties and behaviour associated with effective teaching in the pre-school stage.

6. Competently manage a classroom in an ECD site.

7. Plan and establish an ECD site using indoor and outdoor space.

8. Display sound financial skills in the management of an ECD centre.

9. Read, write and speak the language/s of communication and facilitation.