Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care

The Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care at Sydney Metro College is a one-year qualification for people who want to work with children from birth to five years in Australian early learning services. 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 other educators. The course mixes classroom learning with long hours in a real early childhood centre, because that is how this industry trains its people.

How the course is structured

Australian diplomas sit at Level 5 on the Australian Qualifications Framework. They are practical, job-focused qualifications, usually delivered over one year full-time, and they are made up of units of study rather than majors. At Sydney Metro College you complete a set of core and elective units, each carrying credit points, and you need to pass all of them to graduate. Assessment is competency-based: you show you can do the task, not just write about it. Some units are delivered in trimesters, and the timetable includes both on-campus classes and supervised work in a regulated early childhood service.

The big part of the diploma is professional experience placement. You go into a long day care centre, preschool or family day care service and work alongside qualified educators. You plan activities, observe children, keep records, and take on more responsibility as you go. This is not an add-on; it is how you build the skills that employers ask about at interview. Your placement hours are set by the training package, and the college organises them for you.

What you actually learn

You cover child development, curriculum planning, health and safety, nutrition, legal and ethical requirements, and working with diverse families. You learn to design play experiences that support language, literacy, numeracy, and social skills. You also learn the National Quality Framework and the Early Years Learning Framework, which set the rules and expectations for every early childhood service in Australia. By the end, you can write learning stories, run group times, manage behaviour positively, and speak confidently with parents.

This diploma suits people who enjoy working with young children and want a hands-on qualification rather than a long university degree. It is also a pathway: many graduates go on to a bachelor degree in early childhood education with credit for their diploma units. If you are an international student, you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while you study, and after you finish you may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream. English entry is IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall or an accepted equivalent, and the Department of Home Affairs sets a separate English threshold for the Student visa. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 118606A. Check the official page for the current unit list, placement arrangements and start dates.

• Early childhood educator in long day care centres, preschools and kindergartens across Australia.
• Family day care educator running your own approved home-based service.
• Outside school hours care assistant in before- and after-school programmes.
• Room leader or lead educator once you have some experience, responsible for a group of children and other staff.
• Inclusion support worker helping children with additional needs take part in mainstream services.
• Nanny or in-home carer employed directly by families.
• Pathway to university for a bachelor degree in early childhood education, which can lead to teacher registration and higher duties.