Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care CHC50121

This engaging course is perfect for people who love working with, and inspiring, children. With some experience in the childcare sector, this Diploma will train you to be a highly skilled childhood educator, who is qualified to step up into senior and management positions.

If you are an existing worker or have experience in the related industry, please inform our enrolment consultants during your enrolment conversation. You may be eligible to enrol as an existing worker and complete your studies faster. Please note - limitations do apply.

During your studies you will learn how to:

• Develop and implement workplace policies and procedures for sustainability
• Undertake a structured process to reflect on and improve your professional practice
• Manage the effectiveness of your work team
• Contribute to, facilitate, and monitor learning and development for teams and individuals
• Use strategies to foster and promote diversity in your work practice
• Design, implement, and evaluate plans to enhance environmental responsibility
• Facilitate self-assessment and develop quality improvement plans
• Examine policies and procedures and document how risks are assessed

The duration for the course is self paced - maximum of 24 months. As a self-paced online course, the time it will take you to complete is flexible and dependent on ability and time available.

Entry Requirements

Mandatory Entry Requirements

Students must hold one of the following qualifications

• CHC30121 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care or
• CHC30113 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care.

They must be able to provide a transcript showing that the qualification has been completed in full before their enrolment can be finalised.

It is also recommended that students

• Are 18 years old (note: students under 18 will need permission from a parent or guardian to enrol)
• Have access to a modern computer with high-speed internet
• Have access to Microsoft office or equivalent · Have basic computing skills, including the ability to make a short video and participate in live streaming

Equipment and tools

Students will need a device to take pictures, record video, and conduct livestream.

While not necessary, it is recommended that students have access to a laptop to take to their host facility, so that they are able to complete assessment documents during placement.

While it is not required the following reading is recommended as part of the course:

• Programming and Planning in Early Childhood Settings by Leonie Arthur, Bronwyn Beecher, Elizabeth Death, Susan Dockett, Sue Farmer
• The Early Childhood Educator for Diploma by Lorraine Walker

Minimum age

You will need to be at least 18 years old.

Physical Requirements

Students will need to be reasonably physically fit, as the role of an educator involves a variety of tasks that require a reasonable amount of physical activity, such as personal care of children, and cleaning. Some lifting of children and equipment is also required. Students should be suitably fit to undertake this manual lifting.

Language, Literacy and Numeracy

Our free online assessment tool can help give you an idea of the language, literacy and numeracy skills needed to study a VET course. This tool can also help you determine your learning level and help you plan your future studies. You can access the Language, Literacy and Numeracy tool here.

• By undertaking a work placement you’ll get a chance to put the knowledge you’ve learned on your course into practice.
• You’ll also develop practical, on-the-job skills and could make contacts that could help you find a job once you graduate.
• Work placement is often the most rewarding part of a student’s course. Working face-to-face with clients and colleagues in your chosen field makes a huge difference to your career confidence.

You’ll need to find a work placement yourself and ensure it’s approved by Open Colleges. When looking for a suitable work placement host organisation, have a think about the following:

• Are you already working or volunteering in the industry your course is related to? You could potentially do your work placement at your current place of work or have contacts that could recommend a suitable work place. Ask around!
• If you’re entering a new industry, do some research and start thinking about organisations you could approach. We have plenty of resources available to help with approaching and finding a suitable work placement organisation.

All costs of work placement, including any placement fees charged by the host organisation (whether to the student or Open Colleges), cost of statutory checks and vaccinations, travel, accommodation, and uniforms are the responsibility of the student. These fees will vary and are dependent on your location within Australia.

• Costs for statutory checks will range between $50 - $250 dependent on the type of check you select and your state.
• Costs for vaccinations will very between practitioners, please refer to your GP for approximate costs.
• Placement fees will vary, please discuss this with your intended host organisation for approximate costs.

You are required to complete 320 hours of work placement.

Work placement hours can be done part time or as a block, depending on the host organisation's requirements and availability.

You will not be able to achieve competencies for modules 5 – 15 unless you have completed your work placement hours.

The Host Organisation needs to be able to provide the students with access to the equipment and resources necessary to undertake Workplace Assessments. The Host Organisation must be a regulated children’s education and care service in Australia, operating under the legislative requirements of the National Quality Framework.

Workplaces suitable to undertake SWL at include (but are not limited to):

• Long day care services catering for children 0-5 years of age
• Preschools

Open Colleges will need to ascertain whether the workplace you have chosen is appropriate before you commence your work placement hours.

Please note that your host organisation may require you to provide an up to date immunisation history prior to the commencement of your work placement. Open Colleges has no control over this requirement so if you are unable to provide this, you will need to discuss it with your intended Host Organisation.

It should also be noted that some immunisations, such as Hepatitis B and COVID-19, need multiple injections to be administered over a specific time period before you are deemed immune. It is important that you consult with your GP as soon as possible to avoid delays in starting your work placement.

Students must be supervised by a qualified staff member when on placement. A Workplace Supervisor must be a qualified educator either possessing a Diploma in the field of Early Childhood Education approved by ACECQA with 3 years’ experience, or a Bachelor of Education in Early Childhood. Exceptions can be made in certain services, such as remote services, where the supervisor will need to be a Nominated Supervisor approved by ACECQA. These requirements are included in the Workplace Approval Form.