We may not remember much of our early childhoods, especially the earliest years and months, but our first memories are often our most formative. This is no accident. Early childhood is the most influential time of our lives, with the impact of quality or inadequate support having long-lasting effects on both the individual and those around them.

The significance of this has even prompted the UN to deliver a Charter that secures in international law the obligation on governments to provide for the rights of children to adequate early childhood development (ECD). In South Africa, the government has recognised that investing in ECD programmes presents a fantastic opportunity to address many of our country’s societal challenges.

In this article, we will look at the skills taught in a formal ECD programme such as FPD’s Higher Certificate in Early Childhood Care and Education. We will also look at the benefits that such a qualification provides to both educators and those in their charge. 

You can use the article outline below to skip ahead to any sections that interest you.

Introduction to Early Childhood Development (ECD) Courses

Early Childhood Development (ECD) courses teach the skills and knowledge that are needed by both educators and caregivers who work with young children. These programmes provide foundational training in child development, teaching strategies and classroom management, ensuring educators are well-equipped to support children’s growth during their most formative years.

Importance of Early Childhood Development

Early Childhood Development (ECD) relates to the first eight years of a child’s life, covering the period during which humans undergo the most rapid cognitive, social, emotional and physical development.  

The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), in an ECD guidelines report, has identified this period as being highly influential on children’s futures, with shortfalls such as malnutrition having lasting impacts that can prevent children from achieving their full potential as adults. It notes that investing in ECD is "the most cost-effective equaliser to break the vicious cycle of inequity" if evidence-based interventions are provided for all children and families, particularly the most marginalised. 

South Africa’s National Development Plan 2030 has also identified this as a priority area, noting that "improving early nutrition has been shown to increase school attainment by up to one grade and adult earnings by up to 40%". The plan sets out to provide universal access to ECD programmes and services by 2030. 

These ECD programmes are defined in the National Integrated ECD Policy as being programmes that offer daily care, development, early learning opportunities or support to children from birth until the year before they enter formal school.

At an ECD summit in Johannesburg in March 2025, President Cyril Ramaphosa said that “Investing in ECD yields significant economic returns. Studies have shown every rand spent on ECD can save up to R7 in future costs associated with remedial education, social services as well as criminal justice."

This means that ECD investment offers a significant opportunity to address South Africa’s massive challenge with inequality and there is a growing demand for skilled ECD practitioners.

Benefits of ECD Courses for Early Childhood Educators

Pursuing an ECD course, such as the Higher Certificate in Early Childhood Care and Education, offers many benefits that extend beyond mere certification. Studying a formal qualification in the field of ECD will enhance an educator’s professional capabilities, leading to more effective teaching and improved child outcomes. They will also avoid causing unintentional harm to children under their care, as can happen with unqualified teachers.

By deepening theoretical understanding and refining practical skills, ECD training produces educators who are confident, competent and compassionate guides in a child's earliest educational journey.

Enhancing Knowledge and Skills in Early Childhood Development

A structured ECD programme enhances an educator's knowledge base and practical skill set in early childhood development. These courses teach the psychology of how young children learn and grow, providing a greater understanding of developmental milestones, individual differences and effective pedagogical approaches. 

FPD’s Higher Certificate in Early Childhood Care and Education includes modules on educational psychology and the foundations of early childhood care education, which cover important topics such as child psychology, developmental stages and the historical and theoretical frameworks that shape modern ECD practices.

Improving Teaching Practices and Classroom Management

ECD courses provide educators with concrete strategies to refine their teaching practices and improve classroom management to create learning environments that are both orderly and stimulating. ECD training also helps educators to minimise disruptions and maximise learning opportunities, ensuring every child feels safe, valued and ready to explore.

FPD’s Higher Certificate in Early Childhood Care and Education, for example, includes modules on play-based learning and pedagogy and on planning a curriculum, which directly address how to design engaging activities and instructional methods. These modules equip educators with the skills to move beyond traditional teaching and to incorporate approaches that are responsive to children's natural curiosity and ways of learning.

Strengthening Communication and Collaboration with Parents and Caregivers

Creating a successful and supportive environment for a young child’s development does not happen in isolation, but rather extends beyond the walls of the classroom or daycare centre. Ideally, ECD educators should work in collaboration with parents or caregivers to bridge the gap between home and school. This requires educators to be effective communicators who can effectively share insights on a child's progress, discuss developmental observations and involve families in the learning process.

FPD’s online Higher Certificate in Early Childhood Care and Education includes a module on assessment in ECCE that explores the distinction between assessing people and evaluating information, things or objects. It aims to teach educators how to provide parents or caregivers with valuable feedback upon which they can make better-informed decisions regarding their child’s development and future.

Building a Strong Foundation for Lifelong Learning

Lifelong learning has become increasingly important in the workplace, requiring people to engage in continued learning and continually learn new skills to advance in their careers. The field of early childhood care and education is better sheltered than many other industries from the ongoing disruption of technological developments such as AI, but best practices, research findings, and societal needs are constantly evolving.  

For early childhood educators, the importance of building a strong foundation for lifelong learning is doubly applicable. Studying an ECD qualification will help educators with their own lifelong learning while at the same time teaching them skills to better instil a love of learning among the children that they teach. 

FPD’s Higher Certificate in Early Childhood Care and Education fosters a mindset of inquiry and self-improvement. It encourages educators to engage critically with new information and adapt their approaches. By providing foundational academic and digital literacy skills, such as those found in the digital literacy and academic literacy modules, the programme prepares educators for further study to advance their careers.

Key Components of ECD Courses

 

Child Development and Learning Theories

Child development and learning theories offer a framework for understanding how children grow, learn and adapt at different stages of their early lives. These theories provide insights for early childhood educators to tailor their interactions and environments to suit different developmental stages, recognising that each child's journey is unique. 

ECD courses dedicate significant attention to various child development and learning theories, providing educators with a framework to interpret children's behaviour, design appropriate activities and support their evolving capabilities. For example, FPD’s online Higher Certificate in Early Childhood Care and Education includes a module on educational psychology that offers an introduction to these theories.

 

Overview of Child Development Theories

Child development and learning theories offer a framework for understanding how children grow, learn and adapt at different stages of their early lives. These theories provide insights for early childhood educators to tailor their interactions and environments to suit different developmental stages, recognising that each child's journey is unique. 

ECD courses dedicate significant attention to various child development and learning theories, providing educators with a framework to interpret children's behaviour, design appropriate activities and support their evolving capabilities. FPD’s online Higher Certificate in Early Childhood Care and Education includes a module on educational psychology that offers an introduction to these theories.

Next, we will explore four major childhood development theories that have influenced our current understanding of ECD.

 

Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development

Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development is a developmental stage theory developed by Swiss psychiatrist Jean Piaget that gained popularity in the 1960s. The theory, which is widely adopted in the field of childhood development, proposes that children go through four stages of development as their ability to reason and relate to their environment develops. 

While the theory acknowledges that some children go through these stages quicker or slower, the four stages are broken down by age as follows:

• Sensorimotor stage (birth to 2 years): During this stage, babies and toddlers learn about the world through direct interaction and their senses, primarily through touch. One of the main goals of this stage is for children to learn object permanence, the concept that things continue to exist when they are outside of our vision.
• Preoperational stage (2 to 7 years): This stage is marked by the emerging use of language and the understanding of symbols. During this phase, thinking is still largely egocentric and illogical, meaning that young children struggle to see things from the perspectives of others or to apply logic or reasoning.
• Concrete operational stage (7 to 11 years): The key feature of this stage is the development of the ability to apply logical thinking about concrete or physical objects, but not to abstract or hypothetical concepts. This is also when children go beyond the egocentrism of the previous stage and learn to see things from the perspective of others. 
• Formal operational stage (11 years to 15 years and beyond): This stage is marked by the development of more abstract thinking, allowing adolescents to think logically about hypothetical concepts and apply scientific reasoning.

Piaget’s idea that children construct their understanding of the world through active engagement and exploration has been highly influential in the field of ECD. Understanding Piaget's theory allows educators to design hands-on and discovery-based learning activities that are appropriate for a child's current cognitive stage.

 

Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory

Sociocultural theory was developed by Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky, who argued that learning is inherently a social process and that a young child’s mental development is shaped by social interactions and their cultural context. The theory suggests that educators can improve learning by encouraging cooperative and collaborative activities in the classroom. 

Vygotsky developed and published this theory before he died in 1934, however, his works were banned in the USSR by Joseph Stalin until the 1960s. It then took another 20 or so years for his ideas to gain traction in the West, aided by the 1978 publication of a collection of his translated works, Mind in Society: Development of Higher Psychological Processes. 

Two important concepts within this theory revolve around the importance of learning through play and the concept of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). The ZPD is the difference between what a learner can do independently and what they can achieve with guidance or collaboration. 

While his theory is nearly 100 years old, it is still highly relevant today. It has influenced South Africa’s own educational reforms and been a subject of many recent local studies, such as this 2024 report in the Journal of Childhood Education on implementing play pedagogies within rural early childhood development centres. Elements of these ideas were also influential in the adoption of South Africa’s Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) curriculum that was introduced in the late 1990s, before being replaced in 2006 with the current curriculum used in South African schools.

 

Erikson's Psychosocial Development Theory

Erik Erikson was a German psychoanalyst who proposed that human development occurs throughout life in eight stages, each marked by a psychosocial crisis involving two opposing influences. Each stage builds upon the successful resolution of earlier stages, significantly shaping personality and social behaviour.

Although his development theory spans a person's entire lifespan, Erikson noted how the earlier phases lay the foundation for further development and that people who had not successfully resolved previous stages can go back and address these issues later in life. He also coined the term "identity crisis" to describe the adolescent phase, although popular use has broadened this to apply to other ages as well.

His work on psychosocial development theory was detailed in two works: Childhood and Society in 1963 and Identity: Youth and Crisis in 1968. For each stage, Erikson also attributed what he called a virtue that would result from the successful ability to address and deal with that stage's conflicting influences.

1. Hope - Trust vs Mistrust (0 to 18 months): Infants develop trust if their basic needs are consistently met.
2. Will - Autonomy vs Shame (18 months to 3 years): Toddlers learn independence and self-confidence through exploration.
3. Purpose - Initiative vs. Guilt (3 to 6 years): Children assert control through initiating play and social interactions.
4. Competence - Industry vs. Inferiority (6 to 12 years): Children build skills and self-esteem through accomplishment.
5. Fidelity - Identity vs. Role Confusion (12 to 18 years): Adolescents establish personal identity through exploration and choices.
6. Love - Intimacy vs. Isolation (19 to 29 years or young adulthood): Individuals form deep relationships or experience isolation.
7. Care - Generativity vs. Stagnation (30 to 65 years or middle adulthood): Adults contribute meaningfully to society or feel purposeless.
8. Wisdom - Integrity vs. Despair (65+ years or late adulthood): Older adults reflect on life’s meaningfulness or experience regret.

 

Skinner's Behaviourist Theory

Skinner's Behaviourist Theory, developed by US psychologist BF Skinner, emphasises learning through reinforcement and punishment, suggesting that behaviour can be shaped by systematically rewarding desired actions and discouraging unwanted ones. He called this process of learning through consequences operant conditioning.

While traces of this theory can be seen in outdated learning models that involved corporal punishment to deter poor behaviour, Skinner himself argued that positive reinforcement is more effective than punishment. In Early Childhood Development (ECD), this theory is actively applied through strategies such as positive reinforcement, where educators reward behaviours such as sharing or cooperation to encourage more of that behaviour.

Skinner’s Behaviourist Theory is useful for teaching routines, rules and specific skills. However, our contemporary understanding of ECD recognises that learning is not solely driven by external rewards. Modern ECD practices seek to incorporate the positive reinforcement of Skinner’s Behaviourist theory while allowing children to construct knowledge through active exploration, social interaction and personal discovery, as promoted by Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s theories. This blended approach ensures young children learn positive behaviour while also developing curiosity, problem-solving and a love for learning.

Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory

Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory was developed by Russian-born psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner, who argued the importance of context and environment in a child’s development. 

Bronfenbrenner’s 1979 book The Ecology of Human Development laid out this theory, although he developed it further in The Bioecological Model of Human Development, published in American Psychologist in 2005.

Ecological Systems Theory proposes that a child’s development is influenced by several layers of environmental influence. These layers are distinct yet interconnected, running from a child’s immediate family and school environment to broader societal and cultural forces. 

Bronfenbrenner identified the following five ecological systems to describe these layers of influence:

1. Microsystem: This is made up of the immediate environment and people that a child interacts with. This usually includes parents, caregivers, siblings and classmates.
2. Mesosystem: The second ecological layer is made up of connections and interactions between different microsystems. While the child may not interact directly with the mesosystem themselves, these interactions have a direct influence on the child. Examples include parents attending teacher-parent meetings to support a child’s development. 
3. Exosystem: The third layer extends to indirect environments that, while outside of their day-to-day experience, still have an impact on their lives. Examples include the workplaces of parents, which may support or limit a parent’s ability to spend time with their children. Other examples include community groups.
4. Macrosystem: The macrosystem extends well beyond the immediate community to encompass the broader cultural, societal and economic contexts that influence a child's development. Examples of different macrosystems that can shape attitudes and expectations include religion, cultural context and a society’s political system. 
5. Chronosystem: The chronosystem is the most outward of the five layers and deals with the dimension of time, including life transitions and historical events. These events include normative events such as starting school, as well as non-normative events such as parents divorcing, pandemics or the outbreak of war.

In modern Early Childhood Development (ECD), this theory underscores the importance of considering all influencing factors when supporting children. It advocates for a holistic approach, involving parents, educators, communities and policymakers to create nurturing environments that promote optimal developmental outcomes.

 

Curriculum Planning and Instructional Strategies

Usually, when we think of a curriculum, we are more likely to think of academic coursework than of things such as playing games and finger painting, but curriculum planning forms an important part of early childhood education. Early childhood educators must plan curricula with activities that are appropriate for the child’s level of development. They also need to adopt appropriate instructional strategies for the specific level of development. 

Next, we will look at key elements of curriculum planning and various strategies that educators can use and adapt to create effective and supportive educational programmes. 

Principles of Effective Curriculum Planning

An effective curriculum for early childhood environments should be meaningful, engaging and developmentally appropriate. Some key principles for this include an emphasis on the child as an active learner, the importance of learning through play and being aware and adaptable to different individual needs and cultural contexts. A well-designed curriculum is flexible, allowing for spontaneous learning moments, yet structured enough to ensure comprehensive coverage of essential skills and knowledge areas.

FPD’s Higher Certificate in Early Childhood Care and Education includes a module on curriculum planning that teaches how to plan and develop activities and materials that support children’s holistic development. This module will cover how to plan age-appropriate activities to stimulate children and support their development.

Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP)

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) in the US provides a detailed definition of DAP that can be summarised as teaching methods that are suitable not only for a child's age, but also their individual characteristics and cultural backgrounds.

As we covered earlier when we looked at the different theories of childhood development, young children think and learn in different ways as they grow older. Early childhood educators should go beyond a one-size-fits-all approach. They should know how to observe children, understand their developmental stage and then tailor activities accordingly.

If you would like to learn more about DAP, the NAEYC provides detailed guidelines on how to implement DAP.

Integrating Play-based Learning into the Curriculum

While this may sound like an excuse that a teenager might use to justify more time playing computer games, the importance and effectiveness of play-based learning are well-established within the field of early childhood education. Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory highlighted the importance of play-based learning almost 100 years ago, while newer theories, such as Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development, note how children build their understanding of the world through exploration and engagement. 

The importance of play-based learning can be seen by the fact that FPD’s Higher Certificate in Early Childhood Care and Education dedicates an entire module to play-based learning and pedagogy. Qualified early childhood educators will know how to design play experiences that promote cognitive, social, emotional and physical development.

Assessment and Evaluation in Early Childhood Education

An important part of an early childhood educator’s job is to monitor and track children’s progress over time. Assessment in ECE is the systematic process of gathering, documenting and interpreting information about a child’s development and learning. 

Assessment allows educators to give meaningful and individualised feedback to parents on their children’s cognitive, social, emotional, physical and linguistic abilities. As an ongoing process, it also helps educators to better adapt their teaching to each child’s individual needs and play to their strengths. 

Next, we’ll look at some key features of early childhood assessment that educators should know.

Formative vs. Summative Assessment

Formative and summative assessment are the technical terms to distinguish between ongoing assessment and assessment done at the end of a particular milestone. At the tertiary education level, the major focus is on summative assessment, such as writing exams after completing a module, but formative assessment plays a far more important role in ECE.

Formative assessment is an ongoing process used to monitor children's learning and provide continuous feedback to guide instruction. This is usually done informally through observation and interaction to help educators adjust their teaching methods to suit a child's emerging needs. For example, a teacher might note a child’s counting errors during a game and later provide targeted number activities.

Summative assessment is done less frequently in ECE, occurring only at the end of a period of time to evaluate overall learning and development outcomes and measure them against age-appropriate standards. An example of this is a report card sent to parents at the end of a school term.

Observation as a Key Assessment Tool

As we showed in the previous section, the focus in early childhood education is on ongoing assessment, which is done mostly through observation.

Early childhood educators should know how to use observation techniques, including what to look for, how to record information objectively and how to interpret their findings. This allows educators to better understand each child's unique learning style and developmental trajectory, giving them the information they need to adapt their teaching.

Using Portfolios and Anecdotal Records

Observation is just one part of the process. Early childhood educators must then use these observations to build up anecdotal records and portfolios on each of the children in their care. 

Anecdotal records are brief, factual accounts of specific events or behaviours observed, providing context and detailed insights into a child's development. For best effect, these records should be recorded immediately to avoid bias and should assess a child's progress across the different developmental domains of physical, cognitive, language and social-emotional skills. The events recorded in the anecdotal records provide clues to a child's personality and interests, monitor progress and gather data to drive the learning experience. 

Portfolios are collections of a child’s work, such as drawings and writing samples. Portfolios can also include photos or videos taken by the teacher to supplement their anecdotal records. For example, a teacher could include videos that show a child’s improvement on a balance beam over time.

Together, anecdotal records and portfolios provide educators with rich forms of documentation to track each child's learning journey and development. This allows them to communicate effectively with families and make informed decisions to provide individualised support and curriculum adaptation.

Assessing Social and Emotional Development

When we think of education, we tend to focus on the hard skills, but the social and emotional development that young children experience plays a large role in their future success. Children with a strong early foundation tend to do better and have the “soft skills” such as effective communication that are sought after in the workplace. Educators of young children should pay close attention to the emotional and social development of the children in their care. This includes a child's ability to form relationships, express and manage emotions, develop empathy, resolve conflicts and build self-regulation skills. 

ECD courses provide educators with frameworks and tools to systematically observe and document their progress towards expected social-emotional milestones. It also allows them to pick up areas of weakness where educators can implement targeted strategies to foster emotional literacy and social competence.

Assessing Language and Literacy Development

Language and literacy, especially at the early childhood level, form a bridge between soft and hard skills. ECD educators should know how to assess these skills by observing children's verbal communication, vocabulary acquisition, storytelling abilities, pre-reading skills and early writing attempts.

These observations and assessments form part of the anecdotal records that educators draw up for each child and can be supplemented by portfolio evidence. These assessments help educators identify strengths and areas for growth in language and literacy, allowing them to implement tailored interventions.

Assessing Cognitive and Physical Development

Assessing cognitive and physical development completes the holistic picture of a child's early growth. Both are done through observing play and hands-on tasks. Educators monitor these developments to identify children's emerging abilities, provide appropriate challenges and intervene when developmental delays are noted. 

Cognitive assessment focuses on areas such as problem-solving, memory, reasoning, curiosity and early mathematical concepts. Physical assessment looks at both gross motor skills and fine motor skills. Gross motor skills cover large muscle movements like running and jumping, as well as coordination and balance. Fine motor skills are for small muscle movements, such as drawing and cutting.

Creating Inclusive and Supportive Learning Environments

A large part of an early childhood educator’s job is to ensure they provide young children with an environment that supports their development while making them feel included within the larger group. This involves understanding and valuing diversity in all its forms, including cultural backgrounds, languages, abilities and family structures.

Inclusion is particularly important within a country like South Africa with such a vast mix of cultures and languages. For this purpose, FPD’s Higher Certificate in Early Childhood Care and Education includes a module on African language literacy that equips students with the skills to implement a curriculum that affirms the identities and experiences of African children to promote equitable access to early literacy.

Health, Safety and Nutrition for Young Children

Ensuring the health and safety of young children is a non-negotiable priority for any childhood educator. FPD’s Higher Certificate in Early Childhood Care and Education includes a module specifically dedicated to health, safety and nutrition, underscoring its importance within the field of early childhood education.

Qualified early childhood educators should know how to diagnose and react to common health issues, implement safety protocols and plan meals that are age-appropriate and nutritious. While meal planning may seem odd in the context of education, good nutrition plays a major role in the development of young children, especially during the first 1,000 days of their lives. According to Unicef, only one in three children between six and 23 months worldwide eats the minimum diverse diet needed for healthy growth and development.

Impact of ECD Courses on Professional Development

Completing a formal ECD course not only benefits the educator but also has a ripple effect by improving the lives of those in their care. Here are some of the ways that an ECD qualification can benefit the professional development and careers of ECD educators.

Advancing Career Opportunities for Early Childhood Educators

As we mentioned at the start of this article, ECD is a national priority. There has been much progress over recent years, but there remains a strong demand for suitably qualified early childhood educators.

An ECD Census carried out in 2021 found that there were 42,420 early learning programme facilities across South Africa, catering to 1.7 million children and staffed by 198,000 people. The census noted that 52% of ECD practitioners had an ECD qualification at NQF level 4-9, and 27% had completed a relevant skills programme. At the time, 22% of ECD practitioners did not have any relevant qualifications. 

While this means that there are still many people working in the field without any qualifications, the data shows a strong trend towards more qualified practitioners. The 2001 audit indicated that only 12% of practitioners were fully qualified, increasing to 39% in the 2013 census. Based on this steep trajectory, formal ECD training will become increasingly important for those who want to work in this field.

Promoting Reflective Practice and Continuous Improvement

Reflective practice is when educators critically analyse their own teaching methods, classroom interactions, and child outcomes to identify strengths and areas for growth. Early childhood development courses encourage educators to engage in reflective practice, constantly evaluating and improving their teaching methods and strategies based on experience. 

ECD courses provide educators with not only a framework upon which to construct their lesson plans, but also give them a deep enough understanding of educational psychology to confidently know when to adapt their methods. FPD’s Higher Certificate in Early Childhood Care and Education module on assessment in ECCE also looks at how to assess learning outcomes and to evaluate how well educators and learning programmes achieve their aims.

Engaging in Evidence-based Practices

The field of early childhood education has advanced greatly and constantly evolves as we learn more about the ways that our bodies and brains develop over time. Early childhood education courses draw from this considerable body of knowledge to teach practices and approaches that have been proven to be effective. 

By fostering a commitment to evidence-based practice, ECD programmes prepare educators to be thoughtful practitioners who continuously seek out and apply the most effective strategies for child development. This ensures that their teaching is backed by theory and informed by the latest scientific understanding of how children learn best.

FAQs

Study ECD with FPD

Choosing a career in early childhood education can have a profound impact. As we've explored, investing in your professional development through a specialised ECD course will enhance your capabilities and have a far-reaching impact on the lives of the young children you serve. If you feel drawn to this rewarding field, or if you're an existing educator seeking to learn more and advance your career, consider taking the next step towards empowering yourself and the next generation.

The Foundation for Professional Development’s Higher Certificate in Early Childhood Care and Education will equip you with all the knowledge and skills to confidently take on the role of nurturing future generations. It offers a clear pathway to becoming a qualified ECD educator, with the flexibility of online study allowing you to balance your learning with your current commitments.

To qualify for this course, all you need is a Grade 12 National Senior Certificate or an equivalent qualification. You will also need basic computer literacy and access to a laptop or PC with a reliable internet connection to engage with the course material. 

You can visit the Higher Certificate in Early Childhood Care and Education programme page to learn more. From there, you can request more information from our enrolment specialists and begin your application today.