Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care

The Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care is a one-year qualification for people who want to work with children from birth to five years in Australian early learning services. You learn how to plan and run a play-based curriculum, observe and document children's learning, keep them safe, and work with families and other educators. The course covers child development, health and safety, legal and ethical requirements, and the National Quality Framework that every Australian early childhood service works under.

This is an AQF diploma, so it sits between a certificate III and a bachelor degree. Most Australian diplomas are delivered over two or three semesters, or the equivalent trimesters, and are made up of units of competency rather than the credit points you see in a bachelor degree. Each unit has a national code and a set number of nominal hours. You need to pass every unit in the qualification to graduate. There is no thesis or capstone research project at this level. The final stage is usually a professional experience placement, where you work in a registered early childhood service under supervision and are assessed on the job.

Work-integrated learning is central rather than optional. You spend time in a real service with real children, and your assessor watches how you interact, set up experiences, and respond to routines and incidents. That placement is what makes the diploma recognised by employers. Skills Australia Institute delivers this course in Western Australia, where services range from long day care and family day care to kindergartens and outside school hours care.

Who is it for? People who want to be the educator in the room, not just the assistant. It suits school leavers, career changers, and certificate III holders who want to lead a room or move into a coordinator role. It is also the pathway many people take before starting a bachelor degree in early childhood education. International students can study on a Student visa, work up to 48 hours per fortnight while their course is in session, and may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) after graduating. English entry is usually IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall for this level of study, and the Department of Home Affairs sets its own separate English threshold for the visa. Tuition and exact intake dates are on the CRICOS register, so check there or ask the provider directly.

• Early childhood educator in long day care, preschool or kindergarten services
• Room leader or lead educator responsible for a group of children and a program
• Family day care educator running your own registered service from home
• Outside school hours care educator in before and after school programmes
• Educational leader or coordinator supporting other educators with curriculum and practice
• Inclusion support educator working with children who need additional assistance
• Nanny or in-home carer employed directly by families

Employers include private and community long day care chains, local government kindergartens, not-for-profit children's services, family day care schemes, and school-based outside hours care providers across Australia.