CHC50125 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care

VU course code: CHC50125 | CRICOS: 118572F | Level of study: TAFE

Duration

1 year full time or longer for part time

Delivery mode

Face to Face with eLearning

Fees

Free TAFE

No tuition fees for eligible students

Location

Footscray Nicholson Campus

All start dates

Overview

Gain the skills and qualifications to work at a high level in children’s services with the Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care (CHC50125) at Victoria University.

You’ll be equipped to plan activities and care for children, with an emphasis on play-based learning. You’ll be ready to facilitate learning and play that enables children to achieve developmental outcomes.

This practical course will prepare you to enter a rewarding industry where you’ll provide education and care to children during their most influential years. It includes 5 work placements and a first aid course. These work placements lets you put your learning into practice with support from a qualified workplace supervisor.

After completing the course, you will be a qualified early childhood educator with skills and knowledge in:

childhood development (aesthetic, creative, physical)
planning for children with additional needs
networking and family partnerships
first aid, health and safety.

: This qualification reflects the role of early childhood educators who are responsible for designing and implementing curriculum in early childhood education and care services. In doing so they work to implement an approved learning framework within the requirements of the Education and Care Services National Regulations and the National Quality Standard. They may have responsibility for supervision of volunteers or other staff.

Under the Education and Care Services National Law (2011) and the Education and Care Services National Law Amendment Act (2017), the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) publishes lists of approved early childhood education and care qualifications at https://www.acecqa.gov.au/qualification-requirements. This qualification is approved by ACECQA.

Objectives of this course are to:

Understand the basics of early childhood education and care principles and rules.

Learn how to plan and facilitate educational curriculum for children, following legal guidelines.

Gain skills in observing and recording children’s development.

Improve communication skills for working with children, families, and colleagues.

Create welcoming early childhood environments that include everyone.

Reflect on practice in order to provide high quality care and education for children.

Develop skills to lead and work within small teams.

Stay curious and continue to learn about best practice in early childhood education and care.

Get ready for more responsibilities in early childhood roles
: Practise your skills in our simulated early childhood environments.
At VU, you’ll collaborate with your classmates to work through scenarios and debrief with your expert teachers to improve your skills.
Benefit from our close ties to the community, with the purpose-built Victoria University Children’s Centre on our Werribee and Footscray Nicholson Campuses. These centres provide care and education with a varied indoor and outdoor play-based program.
: A key component of your course is three work placements, in which you’ll work alongside experienced professionals to consolidate your skills and put theory into practice.
As a VU student, you’ll benefit from our extensive partner network, which includes schools and community and government organisations, particularly in Melbourne’s north and west. Your placements may even lead to paid employment.
Your teachers are experts in their field and have valuable industry contacts. You’ll also get to hear from guest speakers, and your assessments will be scenario-based with links to the real world.

This course is nationally recognised training.

Entry requirements

When assessing your application, we consider your education, work experience, current skills and personal attributes (where relevant).

Applicants for this course will need to meet the entry criteria outlined below. If you don’t meet the entry criteria, you may be able to gain entry by first completing a different course. We call this a ‘pathway’.

You may also be eligible for ‘Recognition of Prior Learning’, which lets you finish your course more quickly when you have gained some of the skills required from past study or work experience.

Entry criteria

Entry to this qualification is open to individuals who hold and provide one of the following

CHC30125 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care; or

CHC30121 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care; or

CHC30113 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care;

Alternatively, individuals may hold:

An Australian Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care; or

An Australian diploma or certificate III in Children's Services; and

Demonstrate at least 12 months of cumulative employment (full-time equivalent) within the last 5 years in a regulated education and care service in Australia; or

Hold the CHCSS00147 Entry into Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care

No occupational licensing, certification or specific legislative requirements apply to this qualification at the time of publication.

Under the Education and Care Services National Law (2011) the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) publishes lists of approved early childhood education and care qualifications and information regarding regulatory requirements here: www.acecqa.gov.au.

Full-Time applicants must complete the following to determine suitability:

Pre-training Review (PTR)

Literacy and numeracy assessment.

Evidence of prior study completion

Meet the Inherent requirements of the course.

Students will also be required to demonstrate they have the capacity to work with children and families in the highly demanding field of early childhood as set out by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) and the Education and Care Services National Regulations by participating in an interview. This may be conducted individually or as a group, at the discretion of Victoria University. Further information can be found at: https://www.acecqa.gov.au/

Part-Time applicants must complete the following to determine suitability:

Pre-training Review (PTR)

Literacy and Numeracy assessment

Evidence of prior study completion

Need to provide letter of proof of employment in an Early Childhood Education and Care service working a minimum of 13 hours per week

Meet the Inherent requirements of the course.

Students will also be required to demonstrate they have the capacity to work with children and families in the highly demanding field of early childhood as set out by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) and the Education and Care Services National Regulations by participating in an interview. This may be conducted individually or as a group, at the discretion of Victoria University. Further information can be found at: https://www.acecqa.gov.au/

Traineeship applicants must complete the following to determine suitability:

Pre-training Review (PTR)

Literacy and numeracy assessment

Evidence of prior study completion

Must be employed as trainee

Must have an active Epsilon number prior to commencing the course.

Meet the Inherent requirements of the course.

Students will also be required to demonstrate they have the capacity to work with children and families in the highly demanding field of early childhood as set out by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) and the Education and Care Services National Regulations by participating in an interview. This may be conducted individually or as a group, at the discretion of Victoria University. Further information can be found at: https://www.acecqa.gov.au/

Practical Placement
Prior to beginning placement, all students are required to complete both training modules:

National Child Safety Training

Victorian State Government EC PROTECT Training

The vocational sector also requires:

a current and satisfactory Police Record Check

Working with Children Check

Immunisation

The following are suggested to visit are:

https://www.education.gov.au/early-childhood/about/quality-and-safety/national-child-safety-training (in Gecko)

https://www.vic.gov.au/mandatory-reporting-training

Police Record Check - http://www.police.vic.gov.au/content.asp?Document_ID=274

Working with Children Check - http://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/

Failure to provide the required documents in the timeframe specified by the Course Coordinator means you will be unable to undertake practical placement in a workplace and therefore not eligible to progress in this course.

It is an industry expectation that those engaging with young children in an early childhood setting are fully immunised. Any students electing not to disclose their immunisation status, conscientious object to vaccinations or have a contraindication, must contact the placement coordinator to discuss the impact this may have on their capacity to undertake placement. Incomplete immunisation may impact your course progression due to a lack of appropriate placement opportunities.

Information about the immunisations can be found online at https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/immunisation

Meeting the minimum admission requirements does not guarantee you entry into this course.

Some courses receive more applications than the number of places available. In this situation we will also assess your education, work and other relevant experience.

Special entry programs

Special admission programs

If you are from a disadvantaged or underrepresented social, economic or cultural background, you may be eligible for one of our special admission programs. These programs are designed to help you access education more easily.

Learn more about special entry programs

VU Early Entry

If you're currently in Year 11 or 12, our exclusive VU Early Entry program comes with a Conditional Offer to the course of your choosing*, a personalised course plan, special events, exclusive discounts and access to one-on-one course advice.

*Conditions apply.

Learn more about VU Early Entry

Credit & Entry pathways into this course

Victoria University is committed to providing a transparent admissions process. Find out more about how to apply for our courses, and our commitment to admissions transparency. Meeting the minimum admission criteria does not guarantee entry into this course. Past academic performance may be considered.

Course structure

To be awarded the CHC50125 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care, 15 units must be completed, consisting of: • 12 core units • 3 elective units, consisting of: • 2 units from the electives listed below- up to 1 unit from the list below, elsewhere in the CHC Community Services Training Package, or any other current training package or accredited course. The selection of electives chosen must be guided by the job outcome sought, local sector requirements and the complexity of skills appropriate to the AQF level of this qualification.

Units

Fees & scholarships

TAFE fees vary, depending on how much the government contributes towards course costs (if anything).

Read below to find out about the fee ‘type’, the estimated yearly tuition costs for this course, and the financial support on offer.

Fees

Fee type¹	Tuition²	Materials³	SSAF⁴
Free TAFE	$0	$235 (max)	$261 (max)
Skills First subsidised	$8,088	$235 (max)	$261 (max)
Full fee (not subsidised)	$18,872	–	–

Fee type¹	Tuition²	Materials³	SSAF⁴
Free TAFE	$0	$300 (max)	$261 (max)
Skills First subsidised	$8,088	$300 (max)	$261 (max)
Full fee (not subsidised)	$18,872	–	–

Scholarships

Careers

With a Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care, you could advance to roles such as:

children's services coordinator
family day care coordinator
team leader or room leader in a service
early childhood educator
playgroup coordinator
assistant director of early childhood services
reliever in early childhood programs
nanny.

Start dates

TAFE coursework

On campus – Melbourne Footscray Nicholson Campus

Course starts 13 July 2026

Applications close 20 August 2026

Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information on this page, please note that dates are subject to change. Some courses may close early due to an earlier start date or there being limited places available.