Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care

CHC30121
18 months
Online with work placement

Start a rewarding career working with young children to create brighter futures. Study the nationally recognised CHC30121 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care online with flexible study options.

  • Course code: CHC30121

  • Delivery mode: Online with work placement

  • Course duration: 18 months

  • Qualification: Certificate III

  • Eligibility: This course is not available to international students

  • Nationally recognised: Yes

  • Awarded by: Swinburne University of Technology

  • Assessments

    • Short answer questions

    • Projects

    • Case study

    • Role play

    • Portfolio

    • Video and reporting

    • Direct observation (assessed in real time in the workplace or in a simulated situation that reflects the workplace).

  • This course is only offered in Victoria.

Start a rewarding career working with young children to create brighter futures with a nationally recognised Certificate III.

Study online to gain a CHC30121 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care with Swinburne Open Education. Learn essential skills in areas such as how to communicate with children, support play, learning and basic development needs, provide food and basic health services including first aid and work health and safety processes.

Graduate ready to work in long day care centres, family day cares, pre-schools and kindergartens.

Maintain work/ life balance with flexible online study, allowing you to continue in a current role. Enrol to study childcare online. Work towards your Certificate III with Swinburne Open Education.

This course is only available in Victoria, Australia. It is not available to International students or students based outside of Victoria.

 

You will learn:

  • Gain the essential skills and knowledge to work in the early childhood sector

  • Build your technical and soft skills, including how to communicate with children, support play, learning and basic development needs

  • Learn basic health services including first aid and work health and safety processes

  • The Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care is the minimum requirement to work in the early childhood sector.

 

Career options include:

 

  • Early childhood educator

  • Family daycare educator

  • Out of school hours care educator.

Young mother studying an online course at home while looking after her baby girl

 

Start your career in the childcare sector

Source: Career outcome information from Your Career (July 2024).

 

Why study Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care online

  • The childcare Certificate III is the minimum requirement to work in early childhood.

  • Nationally recognised qualification.

  • Learn key skills in communication with children, supporting play and learning, addressing basic development needs, providing food, health services, first aid, and safety processes.

  • Students can go on to study a higher level course or certificate while working in the field.

  • Flexible online study helps maintain work/ life balance.

photo of man studying online at laptop while holding his child.

 

Study online with our world-class learning platform

  • Designed and delivered online so you can learn anywhere, anytime

  • Study on any device - desktop, tablet or mobile

  • Learn through regular trainer-lead online sessions and native content

  • Engage with your learning community through online forums and messages

 

Download your free online course guide

Enter your details and the Swinburne Open team will send you a free course guide with the info to get started. An Enrolment Consultant will be in touch to discuss your options and answer any questions you may have.

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Once you have enrolled in this online course, you can access our online platform and start with the first module. You will need to complete a module and then the next module becomes available to you.

This online course contains 17 online modules, which have been designed to cover the following units of competency, including 15 core units and 2 elective units. This childcare course contains an introductory module and 200 hours of Structured Work Learning and Assessment (SWLA).

Expand units below, to get an understanding of topics, objectives and time requirements.

CHCECE030
CHCECE030 Support inclusion and diversity

This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to reflect on and understand the impact of own values and biases, demonstrate respect for inclusion and diversity, and support children’s understanding of inclusive principles and behaviours.

CHCECE031
CHCECE031 Support children's health, safety and wellbeing

This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge to support and promote children’s health, safety and wellbeing in relation to physical activity, healthy eating, sleep, rest and relaxation and individual medical requirements.

CHCECE032
CHCECE032 Nurture babies and toddlers

This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to develop relationships with babies and toddlers and their families and attend to the specific physical and emotional needs of babies and toddlers from birth to 23 months.

CHCECE033
CHCECE033 Develop positive and respectful relationships with children

This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to communicate and interact respectfully with children and to guide their behaviours in ways that support their agency, positive sense of self and self-regulation.

CHCECE034
CHCECE034 Use an approved learning framework to guide practice

This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to source and use an approved childhood learning framework.

CHCECE035
CHCECE035 Support the holistic learning and development of children

This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge to recognise and support the interrelationship between the physical, social, emotional, cognitive and communication development of children.

CHCECE036
CHCECE036 Provide experiences to support children's play and learning

This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to set up, support and review experiences for children’s play and learning.

CHCECE037
CHCECE037 Support children to connect with the natural environment

This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to support and encourage children’s connection with the natural environment.

CHCECE038
CHCECE038 Observe children to inform practice

This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to identify and gather information about children from observation and other sources as part of acollaborative process and as a basis for curriculum planning.

CHCECE054
CHCECE054 Encourage understanding of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples' cultures

This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to identify different perspectives on Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples’ cultures, develop an understanding of the local and broader cultural contexts, and use the identified information to embed culturally appropriate experiences, interactions, behaviours and physical environments into daily practice with children.

CHCECE055
CHCECE055 Meet legal and ethical obligations in children's education and care

This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to identify and meet legal and ethical obligations. This includes the ability to recognise potential and actual examples of non-compliance with regulatory requirements and contribute to the continuous improvement of practice.

CHCECE056
CHCECE056 Work effectively in children's education and care

This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to work in a children’s education and care context using effective communication and knowledge of job roles, responsibilities and service procedures to complete daily work activities.

CHCPRT001
CHCPRT001 Identify and respond to children and young people at risk

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to support and protect children and young people who are at risk of harm. This work occurs within legislative and policy frameworks and carries a duty of care responsibility.

HLTAID012
HLTAID012 Provide First Aid in an education and care setting

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to provide a first aid response to infants and children in line with first aidguidelines determined by the Australian Resuscitation Council (ARC) and other Australian national peak clinical bodies.

HLTWHS001
HLTWHS001 Participate in workplace health and safety

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required for workers to participate in safe work practices to ensure their own health and safety, and that of others.

BSBSUS411
BSBSUS411 Implement and monitor environmentally sustainable work practices

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to analyse and implement improvements to the environmental sustainability of work practices and monitor their effectiveness

HLTFSE001
HLTFSE001 Follow basic food safety practices

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to comply with personal hygiene, maintain food safety, contribute to cleanliness of food handling areas and dispose of food.

* Students will be required to complete HLTAID012 externally and submit the awarded transcript to obtain credit transfer (CT) for the successful completion of this unit. Note, while the First Aid certificate is valid for 3 years from completion, the CPR component of the training expires after one year from completion. It is the students’ responsibility to maintain the currency of their First Aid Certificate.

Course requirements

There are no formal requirements for this Cert III early childhood education care qualification. However, participants must be 18 years' old or over.

This course is only available in Victoria, Australia. It is not available to International students or students based outside of Victoria.

The Swinburne Open modern online learning platform has been designed so that you can study online anywhere, anytime. You will need to meet the following IT requirements to use our platform for this Certificate III course:

Desktop or laptop

  • Latest version of Chrome or Safari

  • Microsoft Office (2010 or higher)

  • Adobe PDF Reader

Mobile or tablet*

  • Latest version of Chrome or Safari

  • Latest version of Android

  • Latest version of iOS

* Students using a mobile or tablet will need to upload documents from a laptop or desktop or have a Dropbox account.

The course requires skills to be demonstrated within the workplace during 200 hours of Structured Workplace Learning and Assessment (SWLA). SWLA is conducted in an approved venue under a formal agreement between the host organisation, the student and Swinburne Open Education.

Please download the course guide (above) or get in touch for more information on SWLA.

Online study FAQs

We understand you need to fit study around your busy life. Our online learning platform is designed with this in mind, so you can study on any device, anywhere, anytime. Here are answers to some childcare frequently asked questions.

Read more FAQs

 

Early childhood care education focuses on nurturing and educating young children, typically from birth to eight years old. It equips individuals with skills to provide a safe, stimulating, and supportive environment for children's growth and development.

You can acquire these skills through childcare online course like the Cert III in Early Childhood Education and Care.

Yes, childcare jobs are in demand in Australia, with the Job and Skills Australia website highlighting skilled Child Care workers as a priority across every Australian state and territory for 2024 and beyond. This type of work has above-average future demand.

The need for childcare services has been consistently high due to the increasing number of working parents and single-parent households.

This demand is expected to continue as more parents require quality care for their children while they work or study.

To become a childcare worker, you need a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care (CHC30121). You can study this childcare qualification online or in person.

It covers essential topics like "Supporting children's health, safety, and well-being" and "Nurturing babies and toddlers," providing you with the skills needed for childcare roles.

It usually takes 18 months to complete a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care online.

The duration can vary depending on whether you study part-time or full-time and your prior experience or qualifications.

On average, a childcare worker in Australia earns between $55,000 and $65,000 per year. The exact salary can vary based on location, experience, and the employer.

The 2024 pay rise for childcare workers will start in December 2024 with a 10% increase, followed by an additional 5% in December 2025.

For an average worker on the award rate, this means an extra $103 per week by the end of 2024 and $155 per week by December 2025.

This pay increase is part of the government's worker retention payment plan to support early childhood education workers.

 

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