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Early Childhood Studies prepares you to be a thoughtful and flexible early years practitioner, working with and for children and families in a range of settings and professional roles.

You’ll come to understand that there are many different ways of understanding early childhood. We give you a range of academic and professional perspectives on childhood, then ask you to explore the deeper philosophies, beliefs and attitudes that underpin them.

You’ll learn how children develop, from conception onwards, how they experience life and how that experience forms the basis of their later development.

You’ll develop an understanding of the factors that influence childhood, and of how this knowledge is critical in supporting the learning and development of children.

We’ll teach you about how early years services are structured in this country, and how to work across the system to get the best results for children.

You’ll also benefit from field-based learning as you carry out the third-year research project which you’ll devise yourself.

We believe small is beautiful. That’s why we’re moving away from large lectures in the future and focusing our teaching more on seminars, group presentations, workshops and fieldwork.

Based at UEL’s Cass School of Education and Communities in Stratford, you’ll explore the significance of early childhood in different cultures and societies.

This is particularly relevant given the ethnic and cultural diversity which exists in east London and, indeed, among UEL’s student intake and staff. We use that diversity to our advantage by incorporating discussion time into our teaching.

You’ll benefit from the extraordinary richness of the research conducted in childcare by UEL’s International Centre for the Study of the Mixed Economy of Childcare (ICMEC), which has a worldwide reputation.

Professors Helen Penn and Eva Lloyd, both teachers on your course, set up ICMEC. Their research in subjects such as how we provide childcare and how policy affects the provision of childcare is brought into the classroom.

The subject of Early Childhood is only relevant when it is applied to the reality which exists outside UEL’s walls. It’s why we take your learning off campus and give you the chance to work on real-life projects that benefit society directly.

This fieldwork will not only broaden your own practical experiences but allow you to observe the practice of professionals as you do so.

Early Childhood Studies gives you the skills and knowledge to work in a wide range of jobs with children and for children and their families.

Graduates have taken jobs in local government, the NHS, charities, housing associations and day nurseries.

Their roles have included childcare project managers, family support workers, play co-ordinators, out-of-school project managers and classroom/education assistants.

The University of East London has strong and trusted relationships with local schools, childcare organisations and loyal alumni. This means you’ll have plenty of contact with potential employers through work placements, mentoring and guest lecturers.

If you already work, the degree will enhance your enjoyment and boost your progress because you will have a deeper understanding of what you do. You may find it easier to move into a management role, for example.

Early Childhood Studies also equips you with transferable skills such as working to a deadline, giving presentations and project management, which are beneficial in many other careers.

You may wish to further your journey in childhood studies on one of UEL’s postgraduate courses. For example, this degree allows you to qualify as a social worker by taking an approved postgraduate degree, or as a primary school teacher by taking a PGCE. It also prepares you to train as a speech and language therapist.