Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care

The Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care at Chisholm Institute 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 children grow and learn, how to plan and run a play-based curriculum, and how to keep them safe, healthy and included. The course covers child development, observation and assessment, working with families and communities, legal and ethical requirements, and the National Quality Framework that governs early childhood services in Australia. You also study how to support children with additional needs and how to respond to children at risk.

The diploma is delivered over one year of full-time study, typically across two or three study periods depending on the intake. It is made up of units of competency, each with a set number of credit points, and you need to complete all required units to graduate. A large part of the course is practical: you complete a supervised professional placement in a registered early childhood service, where you work directly with children under the guidance of qualified educators. This placement is a mandatory part of the qualification and gives you real experience planning and leading activities, documenting children's learning, and working as part of a team. Assessment combines written tasks, projects, observations in the workplace and a professional practice portfolio.

You finish with the skills to design and implement a curriculum that follows the Early Years Learning Framework, to observe and record children's development, to communicate with families, and to meet workplace health and safety, food handling and first aid requirements. The diploma also prepares you for the responsibilities that come with being a room leader or lead educator, including supervising other staff and volunteers. If you are already working in the sector, the course can formalise your experience and open up higher duties.

This course suits people who enjoy working with young children and want a hands-on, job-ready qualification rather than a long university degree. It is also a pathway to further study, such as a bachelor degree in early childhood education, with credit for your diploma units. International students should check the official Chisholm page and the CRICOS register for current entry requirements, English language details, intake dates and fees. While you study in Australia on a student visa, you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight, and after you finish you may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream. Always confirm the latest information with the institution and the Department of Home Affairs.

• Early childhood educator in long day care, preschool or kindergarten services
• Room leader or lead educator
• Family day care educator
• Outside school hours care assistant or coordinator
• Nanny or in-home child carer
• Education support worker in early years settings
• Playgroup facilitator or community program assistant

Australian employers include long day care centres, community-managed preschools, private kindergarten services, family day care schemes, and before- and after-school care programs. The diploma is the recognised qualification for many roles in these settings.