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. Over 1.5 years you study how children grow and learn, how to plan and run a play-based curriculum, how to keep children safe, and how to work with families and communities. You cover child development, observation and assessment, inclusion and diversity, health and safety, and the legal and ethical side of the job. The course is practical from the start, so you spend time in real services as well as in class.

How the course is structured

Australian diplomas are made up of units of study, each with a set number of credit points. At Rhodes International College the diploma runs for 1.5 years, usually across three or four study periods. Some providers use semesters, others trimesters, and the college can confirm its exact calendar. You will complete a mix of core units and electives, with assessment through projects, portfolios, observations and workplace tasks rather than exams alone. A key part of the qualification is the work placement component, where you are assessed in a regulated early childhood service. This is not optional: the diploma requires a minimum number of hours of supervised work with children, and you need a Working with Children Check before you start. The placement is where you put theory into practice, plan and lead experiences, and build the evidence you need to graduate.

What you actually learn

You learn to watch children and work out what they are ready for next. You plan experiences that build language, thinking, movement and social skills through play. You learn to set up safe, welcoming rooms and yards, manage routines like meals and rest, and respond to behaviour in ways that support children. You also learn to talk with families, keep accurate records, follow national quality standards and work within the Early Years Learning Framework. By the end, you should be able to take responsibility for a group of children, work in a team, and step into a room leader role with support.

Who it suits

This diploma suits people who want to work directly with young children and are looking for a practical, job-ready qualification. It also suits people already working in the sector who want to formalise their experience and move into a more senior role. If you are an international student, you can study on a Student visa and work up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is running. After you finish, you may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream, which lets you stay and work in Australia. English entry is usually IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall, though teaching and care courses often ask for higher; the college accepts TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and its own English programmes as equivalents. The Department of Home Affairs also sets a separate English threshold for the visa. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 107592D. Always check the official page for the current unit list, placement hours, intake dates and fees.

• Early childhood educator in long day care, preschool, kindergarten and occasional care services.
• Room leader or lead educator, taking responsibility for a group of children and guiding other staff.
• Family day care educator, running your own approved home-based service.
• Outside school hours care educator, working before and after school and in school holiday programmes.
• Nanny or in-home carer for families, often through agencies.
• Education support worker in kindergartens and early intervention services.

These roles are found across Australia in private and community childcare centres, local government kindergartens, mobile services and family support organisations. The diploma is the standard qualification for working as an educator in Australian early childhood services, and it can lead to further study, such as a bachelor degree in early childhood education, which opens the path to teacher registration.