Early Childhood Development (ECD) Practitioner

By the end, you can explain how young children develop, plan safe and playful learning activities, and know the qualification route to work in an ECD centre.

Job-ready skillAbout 80 hours3 stagesFree

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ECD practitioners care for and teach children from birth to six in crèches, preschools and Grade R. These years shape a child's whole life. There is high demand in communities across South Africa.

Turn on JavaScript to track your progress. The lessons are:FoundationsUnderstand how young children grow and learn.Task: Observe a young child (with the parent's permission) for 30 minutes during play. Write what they did and what it shows about their development.Core skillsPlan learning through play, safety, nutrition and hygiene.Task: Plan a week of daily activities for four-year-olds using cheap or recycled materials, covering language, numbers, movement and creativity.Applied practiceWork with children, families and the community.Task: Run two of your planned activities with a group (church, community or family) and write what worked, what did not and how you kept the children safe.

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What competent looks like

Explains the main stages of child development
Plans play-based activities with a clear purpose
Keeps children safe and clean
Communicates kindly with children and parents
Knows the qualification and registration route

The South African route

The common qualification is the Occupational Certificate: Early Childhood Development Practitioner (NQF level 4), with level 5 for further growth. ECD centres register with the Department of Basic Education. The ETDP SETA funds learnerships.

Free resources

Education sector learnerships
ETDP SETA
Early childhood resources
Department of Basic Education

These links go to free courses and sites run by other organisations. We chose them in October 2026 but do not run them, so check costs, dates and entry requirements on their site. Broken link? Tell us.

Jobs it can lead to

ECD assistant
Crèche or day-care practitioner
Grade R assistant
Playgroup facilitator