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 young children in Australian early learning services. You study how children grow and learn from birth to five, how to plan and run a play-based curriculum, how to keep children safe, and how to work with families and communities. Expect practical subjects on child development, observation and assessment, inclusion and diversity, health and safety, and the legal and ethical side of working in children's services. You also learn to document children's learning against the Early Years Learning Framework, which is the national curriculum document used in Australian services.

The qualification sits at diploma level on the Australian Qualifications Framework. It is usually delivered over two or three study periods across a year, made up of units of study, each with a set number of credit points. Assessment is mostly practical: written tasks, portfolios of observations, projects and supervised work placements in a registered early childhood service. Placement is a core part of the course, not an add-on, because the job is hands-on. You will spend time in a real service with real children, under the supervision of qualified educators, building up the hours you need to be counted as a qualified educator.

Skills you come away with include planning and running group experiences, guiding children's behaviour positively, working within regulations and national quality standards, communicating with families, keeping records, and working as part of a team. You also learn to respond to children's individual needs, including those with additional needs or from diverse cultural and language backgrounds. These are the skills employers ask for when they hire in long day care, preschool and kindergarten settings.

This diploma suits school leavers who know they want to work with young children, career changers who want a practical qualification they can use quickly, and people already working in the sector who need a formal diploma to move into a room leader or supervisor role. If you are an international student, you will need to meet the English requirement for entry, and you should check the official CRICOS register and the provider's page for the current tuition, intake dates and entry requirements. While studying, a Student visa generally allows 48 hours of work per fortnight, and after finishing you may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream, depending on your circumstances. Confirm all details on the official page before you apply.

• Early childhood educator in long day care centres, preschools and kindergartens
• Room leader or lead educator responsible for a group of children and a small team
• Family day care educator running your own approved home-based service
• Outside school hours care educator in before and after school programmes
• Inclusion support worker helping children with additional needs take part in mainstream settings
• Nanny or in-home carer employed directly by families

Australian employers in these roles include long day care chains, community-based not-for-profit services, local government preschools, private kindergartens, family day care schemes and school-aged care providers. Many graduates work towards a bachelor degree in early childhood education later if they want to teach in a school or take on leadership and teaching roles that require teacher registration.