Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care

The Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care is a hands-on qualification for people who want to work with children from birth to five years in Australian early learning services. You'll study how children grow and learn, how to plan and run a play-based curriculum, and how to keep children safe and well. Expect units on child development, curriculum planning, health and safety, working with families, and legal and ethical responsibilities in children's services. Assessment is practical: you'll plan activities, observe children, document their learning, and reflect on your own practice.

How the course is structured

The diploma runs 1.5 years. Australian vocational qualifications like this are built from units of competency, each with a set number of credit points, usually delivered across semesters or trimesters. Your timetable will mix classroom or online study with supervised time in a registered early childhood service. That placement is a core part of the course, not an add-on. You'll be assessed on real tasks in a real service, working alongside educators and children.

What you'll learn

By the end, you should be able to design and implement a curriculum that follows the Early Years Learning Framework, support children's language, literacy and numeracy development, respond to behaviour in ways that respect the child, work within the National Quality Framework, and communicate with families from different backgrounds. You'll also learn to work as part of a team, keep accurate records, and follow workplace health and safety and child protection requirements.

Who it suits

This diploma suits people who want to work directly with young children and are ready to spend time in a service during their study. It's also a pathway for those already working in early childhood who want to formalise their skills. If you're considering further study, a diploma can lead into a bachelor degree in early childhood education with credit for prior learning, though you should confirm credit arrangements with the receiving institution. English requirements for international applicants are typically IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall, with TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and the college's own English programmes accepted as equivalents. The Department of Home Affairs sets a separate English threshold for the Student visa. While studying, a student visa generally allows 48 hours of work per fortnight. After graduating, you may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream. Confirm all details, including tuition, on the official CRICOS register and the college's page.

• Early childhood educator in long day care, preschool, or occasional care services
• Room leader or lead educator in an early learning centre
• Family day care educator running your own approved home-based service
• Outside school hours care assistant or coordinator
• Early childhood assistant in integrated services or community organisations
• Nanny or in-home carer for families with young children

These roles are found across Australia in private and community-run early learning centres, preschools, kindergartens, and family day care schemes. Some graduates go on to study a bachelor degree in early childhood education and work towards teacher registration.