CHC30121 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care

Delivery Structure

Theoretical Elements:

• The theoretical component of this course is delivered online and submitted through our Learning Management System.

Work Placements:

• For mandatory 160 work placement hours, students must have access to a regulated education and care service provider in Australia, with an appropriate range of work tasks and ratios of children, AND access to a qualified supervisor (i.e. a person who holds a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care or equivalent). 

Duration

• Up to 12 or 24 months

Study Load

• 17 course units to complete

Education

This course is offered to school-based students enrolled in government and non-government schools, secondary departments or other schools of distance education and institutes under a partnering agreement between Foundation Education and the school. There are no formal entry requirements for this qualification.   

Minimum Age

You are required to provide a signed consent of a parent or guardian to enrol in this qualification.  

Residency Status

You will need to be a permanent Australian resident or equivalent. 

Work Placement

Students must apply for their Working with Children Check at course commencement (additional cost).

In South Australia, only – You must also complete the course RRHAN-EC Responding to Risks of Harm, Abuse and Neglect – Education and Care. This must be completed with an external provider prior to work placement, and an additional cost may be involved.

Assessment Items

Assessments may include a range of assessments including quizzes, knowledge questions, case studies, projects and observations.

Special Conditions

Under an auspicing arrangement, this may require the trainer and assessor to complete direct observations within the workplace learning environment or as required in the online delivery, may require video recordings to be undertaken with sound enabled.

Where required, we may assist you in identifying work placement options.

There is a high workload of documentation to be completed within the course, and where possible, recommendation of the use of electronic signatures may be used to promote sustainable outcomes.

Check the currency of CHC30121 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care.

Please refer to our VET in Schools Program brochure for state or territory requirements.

For the online part of the course, you’ll need regular access to:

Computer: Laptop or desktop computer with working speakers or headphone points.

Internet: High-speed internet such as Broadband or ADSL, T1/T2, fibre optic (Dial-up access is not recommended).

Windows: Operating system – Windows 8 or above.

MAC: Operating system - OS X 10.14 Mojave or later.

Internet Browser: Google Chrome, or Microsoft Internet Explorer 11.

Software: Flash, Adobe Reader, Microsoft Word (or Open Office which is free to download).

Office Equipment:  Printer and scanner to print and upload some of your assessments.

Mobile Phone with video capability or Video Camera: Some assessments in your course may require you to take and submit videos of you undertaking tasks for assessment.

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. This unit applies to all educators who work according to established policies and procedures in regulated children’s education and care services in Australia. The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State/Territory legislation, Australian standards and industry codes of practice. No occupational licensing, certification or specific legislative requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

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. This unit applies to educators who work according to established policies and procedures and under the guidance of others in regulated children’s education and care services in Australia. The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State/Territory legislation, Australian standards and industry codes of practice. No occupational licensing, certification or specific legislative requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

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. It requires the ability to follow individualised care routines for sleep, feeding and toileting. This unit applies to educators who work according to established policies and procedures and under the guidance of others in regulated children’s education and care services in Australia. The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State/Territory legislation, Australian standards and industry codes of practice. No occupational licensing, certification or specific legislative requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

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. This unit applies to educators who work according to established policies and procedures and under the guidance of others in regulated children’s education and care services in Australia. The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State/Territory legislation, Australian standards and industry codes of practice. No occupational licensing, certification or specific legislative requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

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. This unit applies to educators who support children’s learning according to established curriculum under the guidance of others in regulated children’s education and care services in Australia. The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State/Territory legislation, Australian standards and industry codes of practice. No occupational licensing, certification or specific legislative requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

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. This unit applies to educators who support children’s learning and development according to established curriculum under the guidance of others in regulated children’s education and care services in Australia. The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State/Territory legislation, Australian standards and industry codes of practice. No occupational licensing, certification or specific legislative requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

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. This unit applies to educators who support children’s learning according to established curriculum under the guidance of others in regulated children’s education and care services in Australia. The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State/Territory legislation, Australian standards and industry codes of practice. No occupational licensing, certification or specific legislative requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

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. This unit applies to educators who contribute to the curriculum planning process under the guidance of others in regulated children’s education and care services in Australia. The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State/Territory legislation, Australian standards and industry codes of practice. No occupational licensing, certification or specific legislative requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

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 a collaborative process and as a basis for curriculum planning. This unit applies to educators who contribute to the curriculum planning process under the guidance of others in regulated children’s education and care services in Australia. The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State/Territory legislation, Australian standards and industry codes of practice. No occupational licensing, certification or specific legislative requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

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. This unit applies to educators who work in regulated children’s education and care services or schools in Australia, including those who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and educators from other cultural backgrounds. The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State/Territory legislation, Australian standards and industry codes of practice. No occupational licensing, certification or specific legislative requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

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. This unit applies to educators who work according to established policies and procedures in regulated children’s education and care services in Australia. The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State/Territory legislation, Australian standards and industry codes of practice. No occupational licensing, certification or specific legislative requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

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. This unit applies to individuals who work according to established policies and procedures and under the supervision and guidance of others in regulated children’s education and care services in Australia. The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State/Territory legislation, Australian standards and industry codes of practice. No occupational licensing, certification or specific legislative requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

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. This unit applies to workers in a range of job roles providing services to children and young people including in community services and health contexts. The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State/Territory legislation, Australian/New Zealand standards and industry codes of practice.

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 aid guidelines determined by the Australian Resuscitation Council (ARC) and other Australian national peak clinical bodies. This unit applies to a range of workers within an education and care setting who are required to respond to a first aid emergency, including asthma and anaphylactic emergencies. This includes early childhood workers and educators who work with school-age children in outside school hours care and vacation programs. This unit of competency may contribute towards approved first aid, asthma and anaphylaxis training under the Education and Care Services National Law, and the Education and Care Services National Regulations (2011). Specific licensing/regulatory requirements relating to this competency, including requirements for refresher training should be obtained from the relevant national/state/territory Work Health and Safety Regulatory Authorities

*This course contains the unit, HLTAID012 Provide First Aid in an education and care setting, which must be completed through an external RTO. Foundation Education has an agreement in place with Red Cross Australia (RTOID 3605) which allows students to receive training for this unit at a reduced price. Please note that the cost of this external training is not included in any of your course fees. Upon completion, you will need to submit a copy of your first aid certificate in order for us to process a Credit Transfer against this unit on your student record. If you have chosen your own third-party provider, you must submit a certified copy of your certificate. If you have undertaken training with Red Cross Australia, you must forward Foundation Education the email you receive which contains the electronic copy of your certificate.

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.

The unit applies to all workers who require knowledge of workplace health and safety (WHS) to carry out their own work, either under direct supervision or with some individual responsibility.

The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State/Territory legislation, Australian/New Zealand standards and industry codes of practice.

Work with diverse people

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to work respectfully with people from diverse social and cultural groups and situations, including Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. This unit applies to all workers.

Reflect on and improve own professional practice

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to evaluate and enhance own practice through a process of reflection and ongoing professional development. This unit applies to workers in all industry sectors who take pro-active responsibility for their own professional development.

The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State/Territory legislation, Australian/New Zealand standards and industry codes of practice.