How Long is an Early Childhood Education Course?

Thinking about studying Early Childhood Education but worried about how long it'll take? We’ll let you in on how quickly you can get job-ready.

The good news is that there are flexible study options to suit your lifestyle. In this guide, we’ll walk through the most common Early Childhood Education qualifications, how long each one takes and how your study choices can help you move faster.

Early Childhood Education course durations

Want to know about Early Childhood Education course times? Qualification times differ between courses and your study pace.

Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care

If you’re brand new to the industry, your starting point is with the CHC30121 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care. This entry-level qualification gives you the skills to work in most kinds of early learning environments. 

Some of the roles this course can lead to include:

• Childcare Assistant

• Early Childhood Educator

• Kindergarten Assistant

• Long Day Care Educator

This course takes as little as nine and up to 18 months to finish, depending on what suits your lifestyle. This includes 160 hours of practical work. The prac is where you can put theory into practice and get hands-on experience in a childcare environment. 

If you're interested in working in family day care, the CHC30121 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care (Family Day Care) specialisation also takes up to 18 months to complete and includes 160 hours of work placement in family day care settings. 

Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care

Ready to take the next step? The CHC50121 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care builds on your Certificate III and is what you’ll need if you want to move into leadership, management or curriculum planning roles.

Once you’ve finished the course, you could be working as a:

• Group Leader

• Childcare Director

• Educational Leader

• Assistant Director

• Lead Educator

The Diploma takes 18–24 months, depending on your pace, and it includes 280 hours of work placement.

Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care and Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care

Want to do both at the same time? The CHC30121/CHC50121 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care and Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care lets you complete both qualifications in one program.

This combined option takes 24–36 months and includes a total of 440 hours of practical placement. 

What affects the duration of a course?

Your Early Childhood Education course duration isn’t set in stone — it depends on how you study and your existing experience. Here’s what to keep in mind.

Study pace

If you’ve got the time, you can finish your Certificate III in as short as nine months. A slower pace gives you more flexibility, especially if you’re juggling work or family. But it does take longer — up to three years in some cases. 

Either way, the goal is the same: gaining real, practical skills. It all comes down to what works best for you!

Online or in-person delivery

How you decide to complete your course can also affect how long it takes to finish. If you choose online learning, like many students at Foundation Education, you can study at home in your own time.

If you’ve got the time to spare and prefer learning in a more formal environment, studying in person is also an option.

Work placement requirements

Every course has a set number of work placement hours in an early childhood setting. This is a great opportunity to apply what you’ve learned and see the difference you can make first-hand.

Work placement is built into your course but you can’t graduate until you’ve finished your hours. If you need help finding somewhere to do your placement, our specialists can help.

Can you fast-track or extend a course?

If you're eager to finish your course as quickly as possible, there are a few ways you can fast-track your learning. 

How to finish your course faster

• Accelerate your learning with more dedicated study hours

• Take extra units during study breaks

• Use Recognition of Prior Learning to fast rack some units

• Complete placement hours through your existing job within an early childhood learning facility

Need more time?

If life gets in the way, you can reduce your study load or take a break and pick it up later. Most course providers allow extensions so you can stay on track without the stress.

Start your career in Early Childhood Education

If you’re wondering whether a career in childcare is right for you, it helps to understand which childcare qualifications you need and the career pathways each one leads to. Pick a course that matches up to where you want to go.

Ready to take the first step? Talk to a careers advisor or explore our nationally recognised Early Childhood Education courses today.