Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care
Haymarket, Australia
Diploma
DURATION
1 year
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Jan 2026
TUITION FEES
AUD 11,700 *
STUDY FORMAT
Blended
* pay-by-month | $10,960 - pay-by-term
Are you ready to advance your Early Childhood Education career? The Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care is designed for students ready to take the next step. This nationally recognised qualification allows you to enhance your skills and knowledge gained from Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care, preparing you for early childhood education leadership roles within approved ACECQA providers such as early learning centres, occasional day care centres, or nanny positions.
Throughout this course, you will learn how to design and implement engaging curriculum within approved learning frameworks to support the well-being, learning and development of babies, toddlers and preschoolers. You will develop extensive skills to implement creative and inclusive strategies that cater to all children. Additionally, you will build leadership abilities to work in partnership with families, manage teams of educators and volunteers, and ensure operational compliance. With early childhood education work placements included in the course, you will have the valuable opportunity to apply your learning into practice in an early childhood environment and be ready to work as a confident and passionate educator, ready to make a difference.
Work in a high-demand industry
Start a rewarding career in the growing early childhood education industry as a qualified educator in higher-paying positions, such as a team leader or management role.
Career-ready training
Training in classrooms filled with early childhood education resources and a supervised 280-hour work placement in an early childcare setting will prepare you to be job-ready and a valuable asset to any organisation.
Pathway to further studies
For those seeking additional study, this course is a pathway to the Bachelor of Early Childhood Education and/or a Bachelor of Early Childhood Teaching, offering more career and professional development opportunities.
Study Pathways
Completing the Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care will open a study pathway into a Bachelor of Early Childhood Education with our sister company, Ikon Institute of Australia.
- A strong passion for child development and care.
- Good communication skills and ability to speak, read and write in English. These skills will allow you to communicate effectively with children and their families.
- Sufficient physical capabilities as a role in the early childhood education industry involves physical tasks like lifting children, bending, and kneeling.
- Capacity to empathise and remain calm and supportive in challenging situations.
Building on ALG’s strong track record in Early Childhood Education and Care, we are excited to announce the introduction of a 20% tuition fee scholarship for new international students starting an ALG Early Childhood Education and Care course in any intake in 2026.
This scholarship is open to applications received from today onwards and applies to the full duration of the program (including packaged ALG courses). Eligible courses are:
- CHC30121 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care
- CHC50125 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care
This 20% scholarship will help more students access ALG’s high-quality training and support Australia’s growing demand for skilled early childhood educators.
Graduates of the Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care may also be eligible for entry into the second year of Ikon’s Bachelor of Early Childhood Education. Eligible applicants may receive course credit for up to 66 credit points.
The course is made up of 15 units of competency, consisting of 12 core and 3 elective units.
- Analyse information to inform children’s learning
- Implement strategies for the inclusion of all children
- Work in partnership with children’s families
- Foster positive and respectful interactions and behaviour in children
- Maintain a safe and healthy environment for children
- Embed environmental responsibility in service operations
- Reflect and improve on own professional practice
- Facilitate compliance in an education and care service
- Plan and implement children’s education and care curriculum
- Nurture creativity in children
- Research and apply evidence to practice
- Foster holistic early childhood learning, development and wellbeing
- Establish innovative work environments
- Develop and use emotional intelligence
- Manage team effectiveness
Curious about what roles in the industry you can apply for upon completing your CHC50125 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care? Here’s a list of career opportunities:
- Early Childhood Educator
- Family Day Care Educator
- Occasional Care Educator
- Centre Director
- Educational Leader
- Room Leader
- Nominated Supervisor
- Second in Charge/ Certified Supervisor
This course is timetabled for 52 weeks, including 40 weeks of training and assessment across 4 terms of 10 weeks each, and 12 weeks of holidays. Each week, you are required to complete 20 hours of training and assessment, made up of 14 hours of weekly classroom training and 6 hours of structured study. The hours allocated to structured study may vary during work placement. An additional 10 hours per week of self-directed learning should be set aside for homework.
For more information, head to our ALG Calendar and Timetable
Training: Training takes place on campus and in early childhood education settings. Delivery methods for training on campus include trainer presentations and demonstrations, individual tasks, case studies, research, role plays, practical demonstrations, and group work.
Assessments: You will be assessed in both simulated and real work environments. In the classroom, assessments will involve projects with role-plays, case studies, observations, and short-answer questions. The assessment conditions will replicate a workplace environment for classroom-based assessments.