New Zealand Certificate in Early Childhood Education and Care (Level 4)
Course details
| NZQF Level | 4 |
|---|
About the course
If you want to care for infants, toddlers and young children in homebased settings, education and care centres and playgroups our New Zealand Certificate in Early Childhood Education and Care (Level 4) may be right for you.
Availability
Our distance learning courses are offered throughout the year to help you fit study around your work and life commitments.
Courses are offered up to 12 times per year depending on demand and availability of academic staff.
Exact start dates are in the course information pages and in our Enrolment dates page:
Cost
- Course costs can be found on all course pages. The fees may increase annually.
- Qualification cost – to give you an idea of how much a qualification may cost in total over the duration of your studies, an approximate cost is provided for many of our qualifications. This is based on the required number of courses to complete the qualification and the average cost of those courses. It does not include annual administration fees, text books and course materials or external exam fees, and is subject to annual course fee increases.
Credits
Courses are assigned credits depending on how much time and effort is needed to complete their learning outcomes. In general, each credit represents approximately 10 hours of study time.
Delivery method
- Online – The course materials for online courses are delivered in an online format and all assignments are submitted online.
- Mixed – These courses are delivered using a mix of online and paper based course materials. This may include receiving paper course materials, submitting assignments online, or being required to participate in online forums and learning activities.
- Print Only - The course will be delivered using paper based courses materials, and assignments may need to be submitted in hard copy rather than online. This will depend on the course.
Whether courses are delivered online, on paper or a mixture of both, there may also be components such as workshops, noho marae, work experience and practicum to participate in. To find out what your course involves check the course information page.
EFTS
EFTS stands for equivalent full-time student. An EFTS is the study time required for each course and is used by the Tertiary Education Commission to decide if a course is part-time or full-time.
One year of full-time study is generally between 0.8 and 1.2 EFTS.
Level
You can tell how hard a course or qualification is by the level it is set at:
- Levels 1-4 are about the same as secondary school and basic trades training.
- Levels 5-7 are the same as university study.
Prerequisites
- Prerequisites are courses that must be completed before another course can be studied.
- Co-requisites are courses that can be studied at the same time as another course.
If a course has a specific prerequisite or co-requisite course, it will be listed on the course page under the title 'Prerequisites'. If no courses are listed, check the entry and other requirements under the qualification you are studying for. Some courses require you to have studied at a particular level prior to enrolling.
Student loans
Not all qualifications or students are eligible for student loans. You will need to meet criteria such as studying a minimum number of credits over a specific study period. It is up to you to apply for a student loan via StudyLink - Open Polytechnic does not do this for you.
Information about student loans and eligibility
Teaching weeks
Teaching weeks is the number of weeks that we teach a course. This differs from the enrolment period, which is based on the course start and end dates.
For example, a 20-week enrolment period will have 16 teaching weeks, followed by four weeks to accommodate marking, any extensions and reassessments, or exams.
Workload
The workload estimate given on a course page is calculated like this:
Number of credits x 10, divided by the number of teaching weeks for the course. The hours will be rounded up to nearest whole number.
Please note, this is a guide only. You may need more or less time for study, and you may also need to do more hours during assessment due dates or exams times.
- Level4
- Credits60
- Student loan
This programme can only be studied part-time. It is not eligible for course-related costs, living costs or student allowances from StudyLink.
You will study three courses and volunteer or work in a licensed ECE service for 3 hours a week.
The purpose of this qualification is to provide Aotearoa New Zealand with people who can provide practice-based education and care in a specific early childhood context. This is the minimum qualification requirement for licensed home-based educators, and further details can be accessed from the Ministry of Education.
This qualification is intended for people who intend to work as early childhood educators, particularly in the home-based sector, or proceed to further study. Graduates will enhance family, whānau and community outcomes and will support mokopuna - infants, toddlers and young children.
Graduates will be able to operate independently and self-manage, taking some responsibility for the performance of others. The early childhood education (ECE) setting and associated regulatory framework and criteria will determine the level of supervision under which graduates will operate when employed. For example, home-based regular sole charge practitioners would be under general supervision, while parent-led session leaders would provide guidance and supervision of others.
Zero fees Offer
This programme is currently offered under zero fees. Please read the terms and conditions to see if you are eligible and to see how you can claim this offer.
What you will learn
Graduates of this programme will be able to:
- Guide the holistic development and learning of children through the application of key early childhood theories and approaches.
- Promote children's learning through observing, planning, implementing and reviewing culturally responsive learning experiences (including play-based experiences) for mokopuna - infants, toddlers, and young children, using knowledge of the child in the context of their whanau, Te Whāriki and supporting documents.
- Provide an environment guided by community and government services, legislation and regulatory requirements, to protect and support the holistic well-being, safety, health, nutrition and care of infants, toddlers, young children/ mokopuna and their whānau/ families.
- Communicate effectively and use strategies to promote cultural, social and emotional competencies, and engage in respectful, reciprocal, and responsive relationships within an early childhood education and care community.
- Reflect on personal and professional development, and implement strategies that manage own health, wellbeing (including resilience) and professionalism in an early childhood setting
- Implement culturally responsive and inclusive ECE practice underpinned by Te Tiriti o Waitangi/The Treaty of Waitangi, Ka Hikitia and Tau Mai Te Reo, through the use of te reo and tikanga Māori with mokopuna/children and whānau/families in early childhood settings.
- Apply knowledge of the diverse philosophical and cultural contexts and approaches informing early childhood education in Aotearoa New Zealand to develop a personal philosophy of practice.
Workplace component
The programme includes a supervised work placement in an ECE setting of 3 hours per week over 16 weeks for each of the three courses with a total of 144 work placement hours.
- licensed early childhood centre
- licensed home-based setting affiliated to a home-base service or nanny provider
- certificated playgroup setting recognised for funding purposes by the Ministry of Education or Ministry of Health. These will be programmes with a focus on supporting families/whānau and young children
You need to tell us the name of the ECE service where you will be doing your practical work during the online enrolment process.
Maximum Programme Completion Time
To be awarded the qualification, the programme must be completed in no more than 2 years of first enrolment, unless there are exceptional circumstances.
About the provider
Open Polytechnic is New Zealand's leader in online and distance learning.
What’s our distance learning difference? It’s the almost 30,000 students who join us each year to study and achieve their career and personal goals.
It’s Open Polytechnic being New Zealand’s specialist distance learning provider for over 70 years.
All our students study by distance.
Distance learning is what we do.
Our programmes are designed exclusively for distance learning. Our online courses include a range of rich content to engage you – readings, videos, interactive elements, case studies, quizzes and activities, and forums.
Our academic staff are experts at teaching by distance learning. It’s what they do.
They will be with you every step of the way to encourage you, and ensure you understand the course content. They will help you gain the skills and knowledge you need, so that you can succeed.
If you need other support or help, we’ve got a range of people here for you.
With Open Polytechnic, you’re not alone.