BACHELOR OF ARTS (HONOURS) EARLY CHILDHOOD STUDIES (Birmingham City University)

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Early Childhood Studies (BA ECS) is a degree in early childhood education that is designed to enable and equip students to become confident, competent and reflective practitioners in the early year’s field.

It is important that, through a carefully constructed programme, students gain a depth of understanding about early childhood and the factors that impact on, and influence the lives of young children and their families.
It is through building an understanding of how children develop and learn; the development of skills to work with families; an insight into the importance of multi-agency working along with a knowledge of the theories that underpin work with young children, and how these translate into practice that students will be prepared for professional work with young children.

Additionally, this degree in early childhood education provides opportunity to develop key employability skills valued by employers; skills of teamwork, independent work, presentation, role play and an ability to articulate effectively in a variety of contexts.

However, the degree programme goes beyond preparing students for the early childhood education workforce; it is our belief that students should explore wider issues regarding the holistic nature of early childhood studies, including health and well-being of young children.

Our Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Early Childhood Studies (BA ECS) degree programme ensures that the students acquire and strengthen transferable academic skills that will establish them as reflective, critical and analytical graduates who are prepared to access and contribute to scholarly discourses in the early years field.

PROGRAMME AIMS
The aims of the early childhood education programme are to:

• Enable students to become confident, well-educated and reflective early years practitioners with the skills to respond to developments in the field of early childhood studies;
• Develop student’s intellectual capabilities specifically related to early childhood and early childhood education;
• Enable the development of critical reasoning and analytical skills in relation to philosophical, sociological, historical, cultural, and psychological concepts within the context of early childhood and early childhood education;
• Equip students with skills, knowledge and understanding of how theory relating to early childhood development and learning influences and informs current early years provision;
• Incorporate theoretical principles and knowledge of leadership, working with other professionals; working with families to meet needs of young children;
• Prepare students for their professional development and post graduate career choices.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Identify and reflect on how young children develop and learn, and be able to articulate the theoretical concepts which underpin and influence decisions regarding provision for young children and their families; from which students can formulate and articulate their own personal, professional philosophy;
• Be cognisant with, and evaluate factors that affect and impact on children and their families within today’s multi-cultural society;
• Appraise and analyse contemporary early years issues both nationally and internationally;
• Recognise and demonstrate skills required to work both independently and as part of a team in a personal and professional context; valuing the work of other professionals in the early years field.