ECEC to ELC: What has changed?
Over the last few years there has been a lot of change in the early years sector, with one of the biggest changes being the name for the sector.
For the last decade the early years sector or childcare sector has been referred to as Early Childhood Education and Care ( ECEC). Some of you may have heard that term being used to describe courses that needed to be completed to achieve a full award to work in the early years or childcare sector: So a minimum Level 5 in Early Childhood Education and Care major award was needed. This is still true. Those who completed a level 5 or level 6 award in Early Childhood Education and Care before December 2023 will have a certificate with this award name on it and are qualified to work in all settings within the early years or childcare sector.
In 2022/2023 a change was made to the name of the sector with it now being called Early Learning and Care (ELC). This was a move taken by the government, and was accepted with a certain level of dismay and concern, with the word education removed from detailing what the sector does ( but that’s a story for another blog). So, to coincide or match this new name, colleges and learning centres across the country had to rename the old Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) course to the Early Learning and Care (ELC) course you see today.
If you were to undertake a level 5 major award in Early Learning and Care (ELC) here at Forus Training, you will have the minimum qualification needed to work in all settings within the early years or child care sector , the same award as ECEC but with a new name.
If you were to undertake a level 6 award in Early Learning and Care (ELC) here at Forus Training, you will have the minimum qualification needed to progress your career to that of room leader within all early years or childcare settings, the same award as ECEC but with a new name.
So, don’t let the change in name stop you from achieving your goal of working with young children and shaping their future or your goal of guiding a classroom, developing child led opportunities and supporting and guiding junior staff. ECEC and ELC, the objective is the same and the qualification is the same.
