Early Childhood Care & Education (ECCE)

After completing ECCE, candidates have a wide range of work opportunities such as:

• Preschool Teacher
• Kindergarten & Elementary School Teacher
• Nanny
• Childcare Center Director
• Childcare Worker

Various certificate courses are offered in ECCE which is a 6-months course that can be pursued by candidates after completing Class 12. These are as follows:

• IGNOU
• Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University
• YCMOU
• Integral University
• Guru Nanak Dev University

The following colleges offer 1 year UG Diploma in ECCE which can be pursued by candidates who have completed Class 12 from recognised board. 

• IGNOU
• Tamil Nadu Open University
• DDU Gorakhpur
• Guru Nanak Dev University
• Radha Govind University

Early Childhood Education Instruction Specialists can be a high-paying domain.This course helps in:

• Equip with different teaching methods
• Development of skills related to childhood education especially in the early ages
• Understand the mental and psychological development of children to be able to teach them in a better way.

Yes, there are few colleges which offer ECCE courses in distance mode. These courses can be pursued form the comfort of home and candidates can give term-end examinations in order to get the degree. The colleges offering ECCE in distance mode are as follows:

• IGNOU
• Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University
• Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University
• Tamil Nadu Open University
• Karnataka State Open University

No a Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education (DECE) from IGNOU is not recognized by the NCTE as a qualification for pursuing a B.Ed. program. The NCTE requires specific teacher education programs for B.Ed. eligibility, and DECE does not fall under this category.

Candidates who have completed ECCE are not eligible for CTET. To appear for CTET, Candidates must hold a Bachelor's degree in any discipline from an accredited university or institution to be eligible for the CTET.

Additionally, they must possess a 4-year Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) degree or a 2-year Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed.). While some colleges take admission on a merit basis, some of them conduct entrance exams. 

The course duration varies depending on the program type:

• Diploma/Certificate courses: 6 months to 1 year
• Undergraduate degrees (B.Ed. in Early Childhood Education): 3 years
• Postgraduate degrees (M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education): 2 years

You can find the basic eligibility for different ECCE courses given here –

• You must complete Class 10 or 12 from a recognized board for studying diploma or certificate courses.
• You must complete Class 12 with a minimum percentage. Some colleges can ask for subjects like Biology or Psychology for UG admissions.
• Bachelors degree in Education or a related field for PG admissions.