If you’re in the process of enrolling your little one in childcare for the first time, you might be wondering what the is difference between childcare and early childhood education. As it turns out, there’s often more to childcare than meets the eye.
From the various types of care to different teaching methods and your child's unique needs, there’s plenty to consider when trying to find the best childcare for your child.
So, to help you make the best possible choice, we’re going to take a deeper look at early childhood education (ECE) and childcare, and how these two services differ.
What is early childhood education?
Early childhood education (ECE) focuses on providing foundational numeracy and literacy skills for children under eight years of age to help prepare them for their school years. This is a critical period of a child's development, where they learn and develop cognitive, social, emotional and physical skills that are designed to set them up for success during their school years and throughout life in general.
Early childhood education programs are often delivered in various settings, including childcare centres, family day care, preschool and kindergarten. The curriculum is based on the Early Years Learning Framework, which is a component of the National Quality Framework (NQF).
It focuses on five key learning outcomes, including:
- A strong sense of identity,
- A feeling of connectedness and wanting to contribute to the world,
- A strong sense of wellbeing,
- Confident and involved learners, and
- Effective communication.
The teaching methods typically incorporate play-based learning, hands-on activities and age-appropriate instruction in language, math, science and social studies.
Who delivers early childhood education programs?
Early childhood education programs are designed by early childhood teachers or educators who hold an early childhood teaching qualification. To become an early childhood educator you must complete a Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood Education) or Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) to qualify as a teacher.
Some early childhood teachers pursue further education, completing postgraduate qualifications, like a Graduate Certificate of Early Childhood Education and Care or a Master of Teaching (Early Childhood Education). These early childhood education qualifications tend to focus on the psychology of childhood development, teaching science, inclusive education, music and arts.
Early childhood teachers are often responsible for:
- Developing and executing learning and creative activities for children,
- Evaluating children's progress and growth, including identifying limitations and challenges in learning,
- Communicating and collaborating with parents, other educators and specialists such as speech pathologists, psychologists and child health nurses to promote children's health and wellbeing,
- Incorporating interdisciplinary techniques such as music, drama and storytelling to promote language and social skills, and
- Implementing teaching approaches and learning frameworks to establish foundational abilities in numeracy, literacy and social skills.
Preschool and kindergarten programs
The importance of early childhood education has been widely recognised, and it has become a significant priority for the Australian Government. Research shows that children who receive quality early education are more likely to perform better academically, have higher social skills and exhibit fewer behavioral problems later in life.
In Australia, the federal government supports states and territories to ensure a nationally consistent quality preschool program is available for all children in the year before school. This program is supported by the NQF. Depending on the state or territory you live in, you may know this early childhood education program as preschool or kindergarten. Under the NQF, centre-based day care and preschool services must have an early childhood teacher in attendance.
While preschool and kindergarten programs aren’t compulsory, they provide a great opportunity for children to develop the skills they need to succeed in school.
What is childcare?
Childcare services are designed to meet the basic needs of children, including feeding, playing and sleeping. While childcare workers help to supervise children, they also help to teach children early life skills while introducing them to a variety of different activities, including reading, sports, arts and crafts. With that said, many childcare providers also incorporate aspects of early childhood education in their service.
Who delivers childcare services?
Childcare services are delivered by childcare workers who hold or are actively working towards a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care from TAFE. This qualification covers core childcare skills, like play techniques, behaviour management and healthy meal planning.
In addition to holding a relevant qualification, childcare workers must also undergo a Working with Children Check and are generally required to complete additional training, like first aid.
Childcare workers have a number of different duties and responsibilities, including:
- Ensuring children adhere to their daily routines,
- Aiding in the preparation of educational and recreational materials and equipment,
- Managing children's behaviour,
- Facilitating children's social development, and
- Coordinating engaging activities for children.
Types of childcare services
Childcare services are delivered in a variety of settings, including childcare long day care centres, family day cares and out of school hours (OOSH) care. In some instances, childcare workers may even work as nannies or babysitters.
What is the difference between childcare and early childhood education?
So, what’s the main difference between childcare and early childhood education? While childcare and early childhood education (ECE) share many similar characteristics, these terms refer to two different concepts. While both involve caring for and supporting the development of young children, there are some key differences.
Childcare typically refers to a service that provides care and supervision for children while their parents or guardians are at work or otherwise occupied. The primary goal of childcare is to ensure that children are safe, fed and supervised. This is often delivered in group settings like childcare centres or family day cares. Childcare providers may also offer some basic educational activities, but the focus is generally on meeting the physical and emotional needs of the children in their care.
On the other hand, ECE refers to programs and services that are designed specifically to support the learning and development of young children. The primary goal of ECE is to promote the cognitive, social, emotional and physical development of children in a stimulating and supportive environment. ECE programs have a curriculum that’s based on the Early Years Learning Framework. They often include age-appropriate learning activities, like language and literacy development, math and science, social studies and creative arts. ECE providers may also work closely with families to support children's development at home.
In summary, while both childcare and ECE involve caring for and supporting young children, ECE programs have a stronger focus on education and development, while childcare is primarily focused on meeting children's basic needs for safety, supervision and care. There are also differences in the individuals that deliver childcare services or ECE programs and the minimum level of qualifications that they hold.
Whether you’re looking for a childcare centre, a family day care or a dedicated preschool or kindergarten program near you, you can use the Care for Kids childcare search tool to find, compare and contact services in your area.
