CHC50121 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care (B)

Welcome to the Diploma of Early Childhood!

This course will help you begin your career by positively impacting the lives of all young children around you. One step at a time you will inspire, encourage, and promote children’s learning and development to help them feel safe and secure within their environment.

You will be supported to learn all the tools and skills necessary to make an everlasting impact to help children get the best emotional, physical, social, and mental start in life, this program, however, is about more than just acquiring knowledge and skills. It's about igniting your passion for Early Childhood Education and giving you the confidence you need to pursue your dreams. We'll challenge you, inspire you, and push you to reach your full potential. And we'll be there every step of the way, supporting you and guiding you as you navigate this exciting industry.

To achieve this qualification, you must have completed a total of 300 hours of work in a regulated children’s education and care service in Australia, as detailed in the Assessment Requirements of units of competency. The total number of hours may be applied collectively across all units of competency that include the requirement for workplace hours. The 300-hour standard is to ensure that students gain sufficient hands-on experience to develop the necessary skills and competencies for effective practice in early childhood education.

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.

For further details on how to prepare for and complete your work placement, refer to the 'Structured Workplace Learning and Assessment' section below. 

We can't wait to get started and to help you realise your full potential!

About this Course

This course is designed for all who are passionate about shaping the minds of our future generation. Over the course of your studies, you will gain a comprehensive understanding of the Early Education Industry, including the relevant frameworks, regulations and legislations that affect your role and pedagogies. This will shape the way you implement curriculums, as well as implementing principles of child psychology and human development to help children develop and learn.

This qualification reflects the role of educators in Early Childhood Education and care who work in regulated children’s education and care services in Australia. This can include:

• long day care
• family daycare
• before and after-school care
• preschool.

Educators within this level are responsible for designing and implementing a curriculum that meets the requirements of an approved learning framework as well as maintaining compliance in other areas of service operations. You will apply specialised knowledge to provide high-quality education as well as develop positive partnership experiences with their families.

Throughout the qualification, you'll have the opportunity to develop knowledge and a range of important skills, including communication, problem-solving, and teamwork. Each course will follow standard patterns.

• Live Sessions - here you will find your online classes for each of your courses. Remember this is a great opportunity to engage with your tutor and your peers.

• Modules - Units of competencies will be displayed as modules and is where you access your forums, learning and assessment

  • Forums - each module will contain forums. Here, you will have access to your tutor and your peers to discuss the course, the industry and any questions you may have.

  • Topics - each module will include topics and sub-topics to provide you with the learning required for the course.

  • Learning Activities - within each topic, you will be presented with learning activities for you to complete. These may include reflection tasks, forum discussions or even a short quiz. These activities are not graded but are important for ensuring you have understood the content and are ready for assessment.

  • Assessments - At the end of each module there will be assessments for you to complete.

Course resources

You will need to refer to a few documents and resources throughout this course, some of which will provide you with the knowledge and information to successfully develop your skills, and some are necessary for completing this qualification. These include the following:

• Structured workplace learning documents (SWLA)
• Clearance documents
• Australian Children’s education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) resources
• National Quality Framework (Early Years Learning Framework)
• National Quality Standards (Seven [7] Quality Areas)

Structured Workplace Learning and Assessment (SWLA)

Practical placement, also known as Structured Workplace Learning and Assessment (SWLA), is an important part of this qualification as it provides you with the opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge you gain throughout the course in a real workplace environment.

SWLA is a compulsory part of the CHC50121 Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care, with a commitment of 300 hours split into two (2) SWLA blocks, which are aligned to the Thirteen (13) units within the course.

For more information regarding SWLA, the process, roles responsibilities and for frequently asked questions refer to the Student Guide to Structured Workplace Learning and Assessment document.

SWLA hours

The Work Placement commitment is a minimum of 300 hours in total and is aligned to Thirteen (13) units within the course.

Work Placement is split into three (3) blocks. Block one (1) and two (2) will include SWLA related assessments and work placement hours to be completed. See below the structure of this qualification across the three (3) blocks. 

SLWA Blocks	Module number	Unit Code and Title	SWLA hours
Block 1	Modules 1-4	CHCECE041 Maintain a safe and healthy environment for children CHCECE050 Work in partnership with children’s families CHCECE044 Facilitate compliance in an education and care service CHCECE049 Embed environmental responsibility in service operations CHCECE053 Respond to grievances and complaints about the service CHCPRP003 Reflect and improve own professional practice
SWLA Workplace Learning and Assessment (SWLA) Block 1	Module 5	CHCECE041 Maintain a safe and healthy environment for children CHCECE050 Work in partnership with children’s families CHCECE044 Facilitate compliance in an education and care service CHCECE049 Embed environmental responsibility in service operations CHCECE053 Respond to grievances and complaints about the service CHCPRP003 Reflect and improve own professional practice	20 hours
Block 2	Modules 6-9	CHCECE046 Implement strategies for the inclusion of all children CHCECE045 Foster positive and respectful interactions and behaviour in children CHCECE042 Foster holistic early childhood learning, development and well being CHCECE047 Analyse information to inform children's learning CHCECE048 Plan and implement children's education and care curriculum CHCECE043 Nurture creativity in children CHCDIV003 Manage and promote diversity
SWLA Workplace Learning and Assessment (SWLA) Block 2	Module 10	CHCECE046 Implement strategies for the inclusion of all children CHCECE045 Foster positive and respectful interactions and behaviour in children CHCECE042 Foster holistic early childhood learning, development and well being CHCECE047 Analyse information to inform children's learning CHCECE048 Plan and implement children's education and care curriculum CHCECE043 Nurture creativity in children CHCDIV003 Manage and promote diversity	280 hours
Block 3	Module 11-12	BSBHRM413 Support the learning and development of teams and individuals BSBTWK502 Manage team effectiveness

PREPARE FOR STRUCTURED WORKPLACE LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT

Prior to commencing SWLA, you must successfully complete a range of knowledge-based assessments relating to the skills and competencies that are to be applied and developed during your SWL A experience.

For further details about SWLA, please read the Student Guide to Structured Workplace Learning and Assessment document.

Before commencing SWLA:

• Complete the Host Organisation Approval Form providing the required details about your workplace, its facilities and resources and the details of your proposed Workplace Supervisor. You will need to submit the form in Module 4, just before the module dedicated to SWLA 1. Make sure you submit the form as soon as Module 4 opens up, before you begin learning or complete the theory assessments, to avoid delays commencing work placement. 
• Once you have found a potential Host Organisation, provide a copy of the  Supervisor Guide to Structured Workplace Learning and Assessment to your proposed Workplace Supervisor to provide comprehensive information about the requirements. 
• Obtain a working with children check (WWCC), or pre-employment/child-safe screening, as per the requirements of each state/territory. You can check the requirements here.
• Provide all required documentation to the Host Organisation as per their policies and procedures. Confirm the requirements with the workplace!
  This may include:
  • Working with children check
  • National Criminal Record Check/Police Check
  • Vaccination certificate against infectious diseases
  • Confidentiality agreement signed.
• Ensure you have all required personal protective equipment necessary for the workplace.

For further details, read the Student Guide to Structured Workplace Learning and Assessment document that includes 'Frequently Asked Questions' for your information.

You can read more about SWLA requirements and how to find a host organisation in the introductory module (Topic 1.6) and in the SWLA 1 module, topic 5.2.

Clearance documents

Before you join a workplace, it is your responsibility to ensure that you have prepared and met the following requirements. These include the following:

• Working with children’s check
• Police check
• Immunisation record

You are also required to complete all workplace induction/orientation, and to comply with workplace policies and procedures (e.g., code of conduct, confidentiality, workplace health and safety).

Industry Memberships Documents

Suppose you are interested in becoming an advocate in fighting for the best interests of young children. In that case, there are organisations you can become a member of, which will keep you up to date with the latest best practices and research and policy information within the sector. You will also have the opportunity to access exclusive benefits and discounts to support your role within the industry. These may include:

• professional Development events, resources and webinars
• support with updating policies and procedures
• resources for parents/educators
• attending seminars, conferences and events
• the ability to have your say and provide input to government officials and policymakers and so much more.

Click the links to be taken to the following organisations to learn more about what they do and how they aim to support the Early Childhood Industry.

• Early Childhood Australia Learning Hub
• Community Early Learning (Cela)
• Australian Childcare Alliance
• Reimagine Australia

There are various other organisations that can help support you depending on what you are looking for and how you are wanting to support children within your role. Go to the ACECQA website where you can view a variety of organisations/websites that work in spreading support and awareness within Early Childhood.