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 centres, kindergartens and family day care. You learn how to plan and run a play-based curriculum, observe and document children's learning, keep them safe, and work with families from many different backgrounds. The course is practical from the start. You will spend time in real services on placement, where you practise routines, set up experiences, and get feedback from educators who do the job every day.

As an Australian diploma, the course sits at Level 5 on the Australian Qualifications Framework. It is usually delivered over two or three study periods across the year, and you complete a set number of units of study, each with credit points. There is no research thesis at this level. Instead, the final part of the course often brings together what you have learned through a work placement or a supervised project in a service. Assessment is a mix of written tasks, practical demonstrations and observation in the workplace. Your placement hours count towards the qualification and are a required part of the diploma. Because the course is regulated, providers must meet the standards set for early childhood training in Australia.

By the end, you can write learning stories, plan experiences that match each child's stage, support children with additional needs, and follow the National Quality Framework and the Early Years Learning Framework. You also learn to communicate with families, work in a team, and keep accurate records. These are the skills employers look for when they hire in long day care, preschool and outside school hours care. The diploma also gives you a pathway into further study, such as a bachelor degree in early childhood education, with credit for some units already completed.

This course suits people who enjoy being around young children and want a hands-on job rather than a desk job. It works for school leavers, career changers, and people already working in the sector who need a formal qualification to move into a lead educator or room leader role. If you are an international student, you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is running, and after you finish you may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream. Entry usually requires English proficiency, and the published standard for this course is IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall, with TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and the provider's own English programmes accepted as equivalents. The Department of Home Affairs sets a separate English threshold for the Student visa itself. Tuition is listed on the CRICOS register, and you should confirm fees, intake dates and placement arrangements on the official Charlton Brown page or the CRICOS entry for course code 108123C.

• Early childhood educator in long day care centres, preschools and kindergartens across Australia.
• Room leader or lead educator responsible for a group of children and a small team.
• Family day care educator running your own licensed home-based service.
• Outside school hours care assistant or coordinator in before and after school programmes.
• Nanny or in-home carer for families who need flexible care.
• Education support worker in early intervention services or inclusive programmes.

These roles are found in private and community childcare providers, local government preschools, not-for-profit organisations and school-based early learning centres. The diploma also counts towards the qualification requirements for working in the sector and can lead into a bachelor degree with credit.