Students are required to attend 80% of all classes. 

Classes will be recorded and made available for students who are unable to attend/commence on time due to family commitments.  Students must make prior arrangements for catch up material.

Students must attend a 30 minute one on one mentoring session every fortnight.  During mentoring sessions students will gain feedback on progress and be supported in completing any assessment activities.

All students will complete 1 practical assessment each month which is counted towards their portfolio.  

Course details 

Nestled within the Abbotsford Convent creative and education precinct, we utilise a Rudolf Steiner philosophy and a play based curriculum to facilitate learning and purposeful enriching play in Early Childhood Education.  

This qualification is the entry level qualification to any accredited childcare service including Family Day Care, Centre Based care, and occasional care program.

Occupational titles may include:

• Child care worker/ assistant
• Playgroup supervisor
• Family day care worker
• Outside school hours care assistant
• Recreation assistant
• Nanny

Course Cost

Please see our pricing page for latest charges.

*Delivered with Victorian and Commonwealth Government Funding - Click here to check your eligibility.

Are you the 'right fit' for this course?

Students who get the most from our course have some of the following in common.

• Are driven and success oriented - have had successful careers in other fields.

• Are creative thinkers, artists and creators - open to learning new skills.

• Are looking into alternative employment opportunities following the birth of a child - the ability to work with or near own children is attractive.

• Are exceptionally engaged parents - a career in parenting makes sense.

• Value social justice and want to contribute to society.

• Think deeply about our children and the society they will inherent.

• Are open to alternative education and parenting.

To be an ECE you must have that extra gift and passion to work with children - you must really want it! We take many steps to ensure you are undertaking this course for the right reasons and to ensure you are suitable for this course.  

Our pre enrolment process is designed to ensure 'no surprises' and you get maximum benefit from us.

Ok, I'm interested but how much time do I need?

1. You will need to put aside Monday evenings between 7:30 and 9:30 to participate in workshop activities.

2. You will need to put aside 1 weekday to participate in work placement activities (to a total of 160 hours). 

3. You will need to attend 6 Saturday Workshops held the first Saturday of each month at the Abbotsford Convent

Students will develop an individual learning plan based on a deep and abiding personal interest – anything from the arts to animal husbandry and natural sciences – an approach called project-based learning.  Subjects for study are then "contextualised" around that area of interest.

Flipped Classroom

Reading activities will be available online and will be accompanied with short answer questions and multiple choice assessments.   Students will have access to google classroom where they can complete course work and engage with other students in an online environment.  Google classroom is a place to submit assessments, track progress, ask, and respond to questions from academic peers and college staff.

Students are expected to attend remote learning classes every Monday night between 7pm and 9pm.  These classes follow a session plan centred on the key themes and requirements of the units to be delivered.  We follow the 70:20:10 model for learning and development.  It holds that individuals obtain 70% of their knowledge from job-related experiences, 20% from interactions with others, and 10% from formal educational events.  With this in mind if you just turn up to classes on Monday night and have not prepared yourself or completed the background reading then you will only be playing in the 10% space.  Organising placement and participating in the reading materials and discussing this with your colleagues will help you maximise the learning experience.

What is a focus child?

A focus child is a child that you will observe closely throughout your work experience activities.  By focussing on a single child rather than on all children at your centre, you will be able to effectively, plan, monitor, implement and review your education activities.  

You will work closely with 3 focus children. Of the 3 children, one child must be  0-12 months, one child must be between 1-3 years of age, and one child that is 3+ years of age.

What is Work Placement?

Work placement can be paid or voluntary.  We have voluntary agreements and insurance in place to clarify your rights and expectations.  During placement you will engage with 3 focus children and our assessment activities will centre around the developmental needs and interests of these children. Your assessor will visit you once per month during placement to conduct an observation assessment.  We will also collect information from the worksite and speak with your supervisor to assist form judgement of competence.

What is a Portfolio?

Students will be encouraged to develop and extend their own gifts and talents and find expression within their portfolio - for example, musical, craft, artistic, engineering, design and aesthetic construction, multimedia and writing skills.

The portfolio will be built each month and be assessed in the following ways:

Students will demonstrate skills for a daily 'story circle' which includes song, story, craft and nature activities.

Students will complete a group presentation at the end of each term of Heart Spaces.  Over the 12 months students will present

• Story

• Song

• Sculpture

• Shadow Theatre

Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of this course Consultants will gain:

• CHC30121 Certificate III Early Childhood Education and Care

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites qualifications for entry into this course.

Entry Requirements

• Students will need to successfully pass the following selection criteria to study this course

• Victorian Working with Children's Check

• National Police Check

• Pass a Language and Literacy test of ACSF Level 3 (equivalent to Year 10 English)

• Attend pre enrolment interview and demonstrate a genuine desire to work in the industry.

Who should attend:

Anyone who is passionate about working with children and is seeking to enter this exciting sector.  Students seeking additional know how to set themselves up in Family Day Care are supported via our link with Ignite Minds family day care.

Support Services:

Organisational Learning Australia promotes and models inclusive social practice. We understand that the world is not equally accessible and we will do everything we can to overcome barriers to accessing our learning program. Please discuss your particular needs with your Trainer either on the phone or in person when you meet. Alternatively, please email privacy@organisationallearning.edu.au and our privacy officer will make a time to discuss options with you. We trust we can work together to provide a supportive and proactive learning environment. More details can be found in our Student Welfare Policy at Student Information page

People with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

We aspire to a world where people are valued and promoted on their ability and have the necessary tools and aids to leave the term ‘disability’ redundant. Click here to view our Access & Equity Policy.  If after discussions with us you decide that this is something to pursue we will work with you to make this happen.

What's Next?

Click here and contact us to start the process.