Childcare Educator - Apprenticeship Level 3

Summary

Working in a childcare setting with children ranging from ages 0-5. You will be working towards an Advanced Diploma Early Years. Your apprenticeship will last for 13-months. This apprenticeship requires dedication, commitment and punctuality for you to be successful.

Wage

£12,480 for your first year, then could increase depending on your age

National Minimum Wage rate for apprentices

Training course

Early years educator (level 3)

Hours

Monday - Friday, shifts to be confirmed. Apprentices are required to be flexible to meet the needs of the business.

30 hours a week

Start date

Wednesday 7 October 2026

Duration

1 year 1 month

Positions available

1

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

• Working in a childcare setting with children ranging from ages 0 - 5
• Completing a variety of day-to-day childcare tasks to ensure that children’s needs, welfare and education is catered for. This can include helping children to learn numeracy and language skills through games, take part in singing, role play and storytelling and feeding and changing babies
• Also, being able to liaise with external customers, parents, to provide a high level of service for the childcare setting

Where you'll work

You can select which locations you want to apply for in your application on Find an apprenticeship.

This apprenticeship is available in these locations:

• Cheeky Chums Day Nurseries Pinner, 8 Eastcote Road,, Pinner, HA5 1HF
• CHEEKY CHUMS DAY NURSERY, ROYAL LANE, UXBRIDGE, UB8 3QR

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider

SWIFT ACI

Training course

Early years educator (level 3)

What you'll learn

• Recognise when a child or a colleague is in danger or at risk of abuse and act to protect them in line with safeguarding policy and procedure.
• Apply legislation, policy and procedure to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of children in the setting (for example, food safety, diets, starting solid food, allergies, COSHH, and accidents, injuries, and emergencies).
• Apply the principles of risk assessment and risk management within documentation and practice.
• Teach children to develop skills to manage risk and maintain their own and others safety.
• Use a range of communication methods, including technology, with other professionals to meet the individual needs of the child.
• Develop and maintain effective professional, collaborative relationships with others involved in the education and care of the child.
• Undertake the role and responsibilities of key person.
• Recognise and apply theories of attachment to develop effective relationships with children.
• Provide sensitive and respectful personal care for children from birth to 5 years.
• Advocate for all children’s needs, including children which require SEND or EAL support.
• Promote and facilitate children’s interpersonal communication to develop their social interactions and relationships.
• Support children to develop a positive sense of their own identity and culture.
• Support children to understand and respond to their emotions and make considered choices about their behaviours.
• Assess the responsiveness of the environment for effective child-centred experiences in line with curriculum requirements.
• Create inclusive, child-centred, dynamic, innovative, and evolving physical environments both indoors and outdoors.
• Create inclusive and supportive emotional environment that enables the child to feel safe, secure, respected and experience a sense of wellbeing; maintaining and prioritising the individual child’s voice.
• Apply strategies that support children’s ability to manage change, transition, and significant events.
• Analyse observation evidence to assess and plan holistic individual learning based on a comprehensive understanding of the child’s needs and interests.
• Facilitate and support child-centred opportunities and experiences based on the setting's curriculum and pedagogy.
• Provide adult led opportunities and experience based on the setting's curriculum and pedagogy.
• Use reflection to develop themselves both professionally and personally.
• Recognise when a child or a colleague is in danger or at risk of abuse and act to protect them in line with safeguarding policy and procedure.
• Apply legislation, policy and procedure to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of children in the setting (for example, food safety, diets, starting solid food, allergies, COSHH, and accidents, injuries, and emergencies).
• Apply the principles of risk assessment and risk management within documentation and practice.
• Teach children to develop skills to manage risk and maintain their own and others safety.
• Use a range of communication methods, including technology, with other professionals to meet the individual needs of the child.
• Develop and maintain effective professional, collaborative relationships with others involved in the education and care of the child.
• Undertake the role and responsibilities of key person.
• Recognise and apply theories of attachment to develop effective relationships with children.
• Provide sensitive and respectful personal care for children from birth to 5 years.
• Advocate for all children’s needs, including children which require SEND or EAL support.
• Promote and facilitate children’s interpersonal communication to develop their social interactions and relationships.
• Support children to develop a positive sense of their own identity and culture.
• Support children to understand and respond to their emotions and make considered choices about their behaviours.
• Assess the responsiveness of the environment for effective child-centred experiences in line with curriculum requirements.
• Create inclusive, child-centred, dynamic, innovative, and evolving physical environments both indoors and outdoors.
• Create inclusive and supportive emotional environment that enables the child to feel safe, secure, respected and experience a sense of wellbeing; maintaining and prioritising the individual child’s voice.
• Apply strategies that support children’s ability to manage change, transition, and significant events.
• Analyse observation evidence to assess and plan holistic individual learning based on a comprehensive understanding of the child’s needs and interests.
• Facilitate and support child-centred opportunities and experiences based on the setting's curriculum and pedagogy.
• Provide adult led opportunities and experience based on the setting's curriculum and pedagogy.
• Use reflection to develop themselves both professionally and personally.

Training schedule

• You will be working towards a Level 3 Diploma Early Years and a first aid qualification
• Your apprenticeship will last for 13-months, where you will be supported by a dedicated assessor throughout your apprenticeship, as well as a mentor and other staff within the nursery
• This apprenticeship requires dedication, commitment & punctuality for you to be successful
• This apprenticeship will open doors to a variety of future roles & career paths within the childcare sector
• Training will take place in the workplace
• You will need to attend online training with your assessor for 10 days out of your 13-month apprenticeship for your classroom-based learning, and you will be working within the nursery for the rest of the time with the support of your dedicated childcare assessor

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

Maths and English (Grade 4/C) L2 Functional Skills (grade 4)

Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills

• Communication skills
• Attention to detail
• Organisation skills
• Customer care skills
• Problem solving skills
• Presentation skills
• Number skills
• Analytical skills
• Logical
• Team working
• Creative
• Initiative
• Non judgemental

Other requirements

You will need to attend online training with your tutor for 8-days out of your 13-month apprenticeship, for your classroom-based learning and you will be working within the nursery for the rest of the time with the support of your dedicated childcare assessor.