Educare is the hands-on training that teaches you how to care for and support young children as they grow. It gets you working with children faster, without years of study standing in the way. Here’s what becoming an Educare teacher actually involves.
How Do Educare And ECD Compare to Each Other?
Educare refers to a set of practical, provider-run courses that build your child care skills step by step. ECD, or Early Childhood Development, is the wider field these courses sit inside, covering everything from informal care right through to the accredited Occupational Certificate: ECD Practitioner NQF Level 4. Preschool, meanwhile, is not a qualification at all, it is simply the type of facility where young children attend before formal schooling begins.
Is Educare The Same As Teaching?
Not quite. Educare focuses on caring for children, supporting their development, and creating a safe space for them to learn through play. Formal teaching, like leading a Grade R classroom, needs a separate qualification on top of this foundation.
Can You Become A Teacher With Educare?
Not directly, no. Educare qualifies you to work in child care roles, not to stand in front of a classroom as a registered teacher. If teaching is your goal, Educare is a strong starting point, but you would need to study further towards a higher-level teaching qualification.
What Are The Requirements To Study Educare?
Educare short courses have no matric requirement at all. There are no specific school subjects you need to have taken either. All you need is a willingness to learn and the time to work through your course materials.
Where Can You Study Educare Without Matric?
Bellview Institute offers Educare courses with no matric requirement. You can study entirely from home, at your own pace, and start building real child care skills straight away.
Which Subjects Are Required For Educare?
None. Unlike university degrees, Educare courses do not ask for specific subjects like maths or science. Anyone with an interest in working with children can enrol, regardless of what they studied at school.
What Do You Study In An Educare Course?
Educare courses focus on practical, real-world skills rather than heavy theory. You learn how to care for children safely, support their development, and manage the day-to-day routines of a childcare setting. As you move through the different levels, the focus shifts from basic care towards leadership and running a facility.
What Are Educare Course Subjects?
The full Educare pathway builds your skills level by level, ending with real leadership and business training. By the time you reach the Comprehensive Certificate, you are learning how to run a facility, not just work in one. Here is what the course covers:
- Designing and delivering high-quality care and education for young children
- Managing the daily operations of a child care facility
- Leading, supervising and developing a team of child care staff
- Handling emergencies quickly, calmly and correctly
- Recruiting and training a team that performs at its best
- Planning, launching and growing your own child care business
How Many Years Does Educare Take?
The full Educare pathway, from Short Course through to the Comprehensive Certificate, takes around 12 months to complete. If you continue to the accredited Occupational Certificate: ECD Practitioner NQF Level 4, add another 18 to 24 months on top of that. Altogether, that is well under two and a half years to go from no qualification to a nationally recognised one.
Are Educare Courses Recognised?
Educare short courses are provider programmes, which means they are not accredited or registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) themselves. They still teach real, usable skills that employers value. The accredited qualification in this field is the Occupational Certificate: ECD Practitioner NQF Level 4, which the full Educare pathway builds towards.
What Jobs Can You Get With Educare?
Even the earliest Educare courses can open the door to paid work in child care. Each level you complete adds more responsibility and more options. Here are some of the jobs Educare can lead to:
- Crèche or daycare assistant
- Child care worker
- Aftercare facilitator
- Nanny or babysitter charging professional rates
- Daycare administrator
How Much Do Educare Teachers Earn?
Pay in this field grows steadily with experience, so it helps to see both ends of the scale. Entry-level roles pay less while you build your track record, but that changes over time. Here’s roughly what you can expect:
Entry Level | Experienced |
Around R4,000 per month | Around R10,000 or more per month |
Figures from Jobted South Africa (2025).
These figures shift depending on the type of facility and where in South Africa you work. Government-funded positions and public schools tend to offer the strongest pay at every level. As you gain experience and move into more senior or leadership roles, your earning potential grows well beyond entry-level pay.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
You already have what it takes to work with children, you just need the training to back it up. Bellview Institute’s Educare pathway has no matric requirement, is studied entirely online at your own pace, and comes with a flexible monthly payment plan so cost doesn’t have to hold you back.
FAQs
An ECD teacher in South Africa earns around R7,024 per month on average, according to Jobted South Africa (2025). Entry-level practitioners typically start around R4,000 per month, while those with 20 or more years of experience can earn R10,000 or more.
Bellview Institute offers Educare courses entirely online. You study from home, on any device, without ever needing to attend a campus. This makes it possible to fit your studies around work and family life.
