Childcare courses

Rosie0ne

Hi,

I hope I’m posting this in the right place (my first post, so please bear with me).

Before my little ones came along I enjoyed studying and completed many distant learning courses. I would like to start doing this again and would like the courses to be child orientated but I don't know where to start looking. Most courses I have found require the student to have a job in childcare (or at least a voluntary position) but my job is not connected to childcare at all.

Can anyone advise me where the best knowledge based courses can be found?

Thank you for any advice you might have.

Always_Harassed

The Open University has an enormous selection of courses.

RedSoleShoes

Always_Harassed wrote: »

The Open University has an enormous selection of courses.

I agree. I have done many distance learning courses and OU is by far the best in terms of structure. You also feel like they want you to learn and are not just taking your money.

Also, if you are on a low income you may find you can get your modules paid for. One thing to think about, uni fees increase in sept 2012 so if you want to study on their existing fee structure, you need to start your first module before then. To continue on the current fees (after Sept 2012), you will also need to follow a continuous course of study (i.e a degree in a particular subject) rather than doing lots of random modules.

However, if you are just after something short, there is plenty of child-related modules you can do without completing a degree. This link takes you straight there.

http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/childhood-and-youth/index.htm

TeaCake

Are you looking at childcare courses because you want to eventually take a job in the childcare sector? If it is, you should be looking at completing an NVQ level 2 or 3 qualification.

Rosie0ne

Thank you for your replies.
I have looked at the OU courses (I did my degree with the OU), but even some of their courses (the most interesting looking ones) I would need to work with children. The course would not be for an eventual career change but just for interest and to, hopefully, help me with my children. It was an NVQ type qualification that interested me but I am right in thinking that none of them are knowledge based?