Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care

Overview

Become an Early Childhood Educator! Gain the skills and knowledge you need for a rewarding career and employment in an early childhood setting. Learn to use organisation policies, procedures, and individual children’s profiles to plan activities and provide care to children, facilitating their leisure and play and enabling them to achieve their developmental outcomes. Depending on the early childhood service or setting, as an Early Childhood Educator you may work under direct supervision or autonomously.

NOTE: Successful completion of the Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care (CHC30113 or CHC30121) is a prerequisite for enrolment into the Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care. If you have successfully completed an earlier Certificate III in Early Childhood qualification, an accelerated learning pathway to the current Certificate III (CHC30121) may be available to you as a requirement for entry to the Diploma (CHC50121). If you are interested in the accelerated learning pathway please register your interest via the 'Enquire Now' button.

Support and Mentoring Programs for Early Childhood Students

• Early Childhood Tertiary Partnerships Program Funded by the Victorian Government, the ECTP program aims to increase the number of Certificate III, Diploma, and Degree qualified early childhood educators in Victoria, through mentoring, support groups, workshops and more. Find out more about the ECTP program here.

Delivery Methods

• On-campus – The majority of teaching and assessment is conducted on-campus
• Traineeship – Teaching and assessment will be required to be conducted as part of a traineeship
• Online/Workplace - Teaching and assessment is completed online and in the workplace

Locations

• McKoy Street, Wodonga Vic (Main campus)

When You Can Enrol

• On-campus/blended: Commencing July 2025. Register your details via the ‘Enquire Now’ form to be notified when future dates are scheduled, or to chat to our friendly Customer Experience team.

• For traineeship information and enrolments, the Australian Apprenticeship Support Network (AASN) is your first point of contact.

Duration

• On-campus, full-time: 12 months.
• Online/workplace: 15-24 months.
• Traineeship (workplace-based): 15-24 months.

Schedule

• On campus/blended: Start July, 2.5 Days per week - Monday 9am-12pm, Tuesday & Thursday 9am-3.30pm

• Online/Workplace: for students currently employed in industry: Workplace-based with scheduled online workshops. Attendance is required at monthly online meetings from 6pm (Wednesday evenings), and optional weekly study groups (Tuesday evenings, 5.30pm-7.30pm).

• Workplace (traineeship): Workplace-based with scheduled online workshops, which are variable to tie in with your work commitments. Attendance is required at monthly online meetings from 6pm (Wednesday evenings), and optional weekly study groups (Tuesday evenings, 5.30pm-7.30pm). Individual training plans will be developed in consultation with your employer, as part of your traineeship.

Requirements

• Successful applicants for this course will be required to obtain a Working with Children’s Check for both Victoria and NSW and may be asked to apply for a National Police check prior to placement. Please note: Fees may apply to these checks.

• Successful applicants for this course may be required to provide evidence of immunisation records (for placement).

• Students in early childhood services are no longer required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to attend work/placement on-site. While no longer mandated, individual services will continue to have the choice to require their students/staff to be vaccinated. This is a decision that can be made at a local level based on the requirements of each service, which may impact placement opportunities.

• Early childhood workers are required to have a suitable level of physical capability, including the ability to lift and carry children and babies, sit or kneel on the floor, be able to change nappies, set up play areas and more. If you have concerns about your physical capabilities, please ensure you discuss this in your pre-training review.

Field Placement

Prior to industry placement, students will be required to complete a series of practical simulated tasks under supervision of our qualified Early Childhood teachers. This is to provide students with hands-on practical implementation of skills before entering a workplace environment outside of TAFE. All students studying Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care must complete a minimum of 160 hours of practical placement in a regulated children's education and care service. For successful completion of the course, 100% attendance is required at all rostered placements. The exact dates are arranged and timetabled into the program but may change subject to venue availability. The specific aims of placement are to:

• apply knowledge and skills learned during your studies in the workplace;
• become familiar with employers’ expectations;
• increase your employment options and employability skills; and
• broaden your understanding of the industry.

As part of placement and applied learning students must wear enclosed shoes throughout. Placement uniform shirts will be provided by Wodonga TAFE. Placement services may also have expectations around workwear requirements. Please note: There may also be a requirement for students to travel for work placement.

Note: Students in early childhood services are no longer required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to attend work/placement on-site. While no longer mandated, individual services will continue to have the choice to require their students/staff to be vaccinated. This is a decision that can be made at a local level based on the requirements of each service, which may impact placement opportunities.

Assessment

The method of assessment varies and can include (but is not limited to):

• observation in the workplace or simulated environment
• written tasks, including quizzes
• research tasks, including projects
• portfolios
• oral presentations
• group work

Skills developed

- Develop positive and respectful relationships with children
- Use an approved learning framework to guide practice
- Support the holistic development of children in early childhood
- Provide experiences to support children’s play and learning
- Use information about children to inform practice
- Provide an emergency first aid response in an education and care setting
- Use an approved learning framework to guide practice

Compulsory Units

CHCDIV001 Work with diverse people
BSBPEF403 Lead personal development
CHCECE030 Support inclusion and diversity
CHCECE031 Support children's health, safety and wellbeing
CHCECE032 Nurture babies and toddlers
CHCECE033 Develop positive and respectful relationships with children
CHCECE034 Use an approved learning framework to guide practice
CHCECE035 Support the holistic learning and development of children
CHCECE036 Provide experiences to support children's play and learning
CHCECE037 Support children to connect with the natural environment
CHCECE038 Observe children to inform practice
CHCECE054 Encourage understanding of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples' cultures
CHCECE055 Meet legal and ethical obligations in children's education and care
CHCECE056 Work effectively in children's education and care
CHCPRT001 Identify and respond to children and young people at risk
HLTAID012 Provide First Aid in an education and care setting
HLTWHS001 Participate in workplace health and safety

Certification

By successfully completing this course you will receive a nationally recognised AQF qualification

Fees

From 1 January 2019, Free TAFE for Priority Courses is a Victorian Government program that will pay your tuition fees to study in this selected course at Wodonga TAFE, if you’re eligible, subject to minimum numbers.

Government Funded $3,787.50 (Tuition $3,633.50, Materials $154.00)
Concession $880.70 (Tuition $726.70, Materials $154.00)
Fee For Service $4,905.50 (Tuition $4,751.50, Materials $154.00)

Fees Additional Information

Additional course costs that may apply
Please note depending on individual circumstance there may be additional costs that apply throughout the completion of your qualification. These will be discussed further with your Course Coordinator, and may include:
- Working With Children Check
- National Police Check
- Vaccination requirements
- Workwear requirements for work placement
- Travel requirements to placement.

The student tuition fees published are indicative only and can be subject to change given individual circumstances at the time of enrolment. Funding may be made available to eligible individuals by State and Commonwealth Governments. If funding is utilised, this may affect opportunities to access additional funding in the future. For more information see ‘Fee information and eligibility’ under the ‘How to Apply’ tab on the Wodonga TAFE website.

Careers

• Early childhood educator
• Outside school hours care assistant
• Playgroup supervisor
• Recreation assistant
• Family day care worker
• Nanny
• Childhood educator
• Childhood educator assistant.

Pathways

The Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care may lead into further studies such as the Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care. Successful completion of the Diploma may also give you credits towards a degree at university. Study pathways with Wodonga TAFE

Other Relevant Courses

CHC50121 - Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care

How to apply

Apply online now via the ‘Apply Now’ button. If the course is not available for online application, register your details via the ‘Enquire Now’ form to be notified when future dates are scheduled, or to chat to our friendly Customer Experience team.

Once you submit an application for this course you will receive a separate email from LLN Robot to complete both a Digital Assessment and a Learning, Reading, Writing, Oral and Numeracy Assessment (LLN Assessment) online.

Please check your junk mail if this does not come to your inbox. All students are asked to complete the Digital and LLN assessments to determine any support requirements and to ensure the course and mode of delivery is suitable for the student.

Please allow one hour to complete the Digital and LLN assessments. You will need a computer with speakers or headphones as there is an audio section in the LLN assessment.

Your LLN and Digital assessments will need to be completed one week after receiving it to progress your application to the next stage, or your application may be withdrawn due to inactivity.

If you are unable to access the LLN assessment or the Digital assessment links please contact our Customer Experience team as soon possible.

Note: Completion of the LLN and Digital assessments does not guarantee a place in the course at Wodonga TAFE. Numbers are limited and selected applicants will be contacted to attend an interview. If an applicant is not accepted into their preferred course they will be contacted and provided information on alternate pathways and/or courses.

For traineeship information and enrolments, the Australian Apprenticeship Support Network (AASN) is your first point of contact

Please note: We reserve the right to close course intakes early. Many courses have limited places and high demand. Early applications are recommended. We reserve the right to cancel intakes and courses if there are insufficient student numbers.