Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care

Why study this qualification

If you’re ready to start a career in early learning, this course is your first step. You’ll gain the knowledge and confidence to support children’s development and wellbeing in real settings.

Discover how children grow, play, and build connections, supported by trainers who genuinely care about your success.

Our graduates can move into early learning roles such as:

Early Childhood Educators
Family Day Care Educators
Outside of School Hours Care Educators
In-Home Carers
Education Support Workers

After completing your CHC30121 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care, you’ll be ready to take the next step and study the CHC50125 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care .

What you will learn

Studying this qualification will equip you with the skills and expertise needed to provide quality education for children in diverse settings. It covers the fundamentals of child development and early childhood education. Throughout the program, you will gain knowledge and skills in various topics, including:

Communicating and building positive relationships with children

Creating safe, engaging, and inclusive learning environments for ages 0–6

Understanding health, safety, and ethical responsibilities when working with children

Supporting families and children with diverse needs

How long will the course take?

Most students complete this course in around 18 months, but you can finish sooner if you’re ready to move faster.

If you need extra time, that’s okay too. We’ll work with you to create a study plan that fits your schedule and meets any workplace or funding requirements.

You’ll have up to 24 months to complete your studies, and we can offer extra time only if you face special circumstances.

Course Structure

To achieve the CHC30121 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care, you’ll complete a total of 17 units, including 15 core units and 2 elective units chosen by us in Cple.

These units are grouped into modules to make your learning and assessments easier to manage. Our team will guide you through each stage and support you in completing your assessments according to your study plan.

Module: Health and Safety

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

Module: Working in Early Childhood

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 noncompliance with regulatory requirements and contribute to the continuous improvement of practice.
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.

Module: Care and Protection

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.

Module: Frameworks for Reflection

CHCPRP003 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
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. 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.

Module: Care and Nurturing

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. 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.
CHCECE032 Provide care for 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.

Module: Relationships and Connections

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.

Module: Supporting Children's Development

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 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.
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 a collaborative process and as a basis for curriculum planning.

Module: Connections with Nature

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.

Module: Inclusion and Diversity

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.
CHCECE054 Encourage understanding of Aboriginal and 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 embed culturally appropriate experiences, interactions, behaviours, and physical environments into daily practice with children.
CHCDIV001 Work with diverse people
This unit describes the performance outcomes, 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.

Not trained and assessed by Cple

HLTAID012 Provide First Aid in an education and care setting

Completion via CREDIT TRANSFER after you have completed the Unit
of Competency with your chosen First Aid Training Provider. Your Cple Trainer & Assessor will assist you to complete the CREDIT TRANSFER process and all related documentation.

Funding options

If you are not eligible for government funding, this course is available on a fee-for-service basis.

The total course cost is
$3,620.00 , with no upfront payment required. You pay unit by unit as you progress, making study more manageable and affordable.

Click here to learn more about costs per unit.

Entry Requirements

Computer and digital access

A computer, tablet or laptop with a webcam for virtual assessments through Microsoft Teams
A working internet connection
Business software such as Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint (or equivalent)
An active email account for communication and scheduling

Work Placement

Work experience is a key part of this qualification and is required for assessment. Each module includes practical tasks that must be completed in a regulated education and care service.
You’ll also need access to a service with enrolled children aged 0–2 years to complete 160 hours of practical experience for the following units:

CHCECE035
CHCECE036
CHCECE031
CHCECE032

If you’re not currently employed in the sector or need help finding a suitable workplace, we can help you explore your options.

Pre-enrolment Skills

Before you start, we’ll assess your Language, Literacy, Numeracy and Digital Skills through a pre-enrolment skills assessment. This helps us understand the support you may need during your studies.
For a Certificate III qualification, you’ll need Level 3 skills in learning, reading, writing, oral communication, and numeracy as outlined in the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF), and Level 2 digital capability skills outlined in the Australian Digital Capability Framework (ADCF).
If you don’t meet these levels, we’ll guide you through support options available through Cple or external providers. You’ll also receive a practice assessment to help you prepare before your pre-enrolment session.
*The Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF) is a tool that assists both specialist and non-specialist English language, literacy and numeracy practitioners to describe an individual’s performance in the five core skills of learning, reading, writing, oral communication and numeracy

Unique Student Identifier (USI)

To enrol in nationally recognised training, you’ll need a Unique Student Identifier (USI). This ten-character code (numbers and letters) is required to enrol and to receive your qualification.
For more information or to create your USI, visit usi.gov.au.

Government funding eligibility

If you’re applying through a Government-funded training option, you’ll need to meet the eligibility criteria for that specific program.
You can find more details on our funding options page