Bachelor of Early Childhood Education and Care (Birth-5)(075653J) - St Leonards

TAFE NSW's Bachelor of Early Childhood Education and Care (Birth-5) aims to develop early childhood teachers who can integrate theoretical knowledge into practical education and care skills in the workplace.

There is a strong, applied learning focus to this degree so that when students graduate, they'll be prepared to work with children in a variety of settings, including long day care, preschool, integrated child and family services and early intervention services.

The academic and theoretical content is supplemented by work experience, which will allow students to apply what they've learned in a real world environment.

Students will study child development and pedagogical practices, ethics, diversity and social justice. During their work placement, they will have the opportunity to test their theoretical understanding in a real workplace.

The four-year degree offers: • Experience in the workplace. Students will complete eight separate professional experience placements throughout the program. These will be in the form of block placements for 5 days a week for 2 to 4 weeks in each semester of study. This will give students an outstanding opportunity to put the knowledge they have acquired into practice. • A multidisciplinary approach. Students will gain practical skills with a strong theoretical underpinning. Students will reflect on their practical experiences as they learn. • A supportive learning environment. Students will learn in small classes and enjoy learning from experienced, qualified teachers. TAFE NSW understands the learning needs of its students and has developed its teaching style accordingly. • An industry-recognized qualification that will allow students to work as an early childhood teacher in Australia. Please refer to the Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority website for further information. • Graduates of TAFE NSW bachelor degree have been successful in their assessment for skilled migration by AITSL. • A positive assessment by AITSL requires applicants to meet criteria additional to the qualification. • Each application is assessed on its merits against the assessment criteria for the nominated occupation. • AITSL does not list qualifications recognized for skills assessment. • For more details on Migration to Australia FAQS.

The degree is structured over eight semesters, with full-time students required to complete five subjects per semester in the following sequence.

The Work Placement built into this degree gives students a greater understanding of work based practices.

There is a total of 840 Work Placement hours over the 4 years of the degree. In the first 2.5 years there are 96 work placement hours each semester (12 days per semester) and from Year 3 Semester 2 onwards, there are 120 work placement hours each semester (15 days per semester).