New Zealand Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care (Level 5) [Version 2]

If you are interested in working with infants, toddlers or young children, the New Zealand Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care (Level 5) may be right for you.

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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:

Enrolment dates

Cost

• Course costscan 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

StudyLink website

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.

• Level

5

• Credits

120

• Cost $5,736 NZ Domestic Not including any course materials or external exam fees.
• Student loan Available. 

Student loans and eligibility

The programme is offered nationwide which means you can study with us from wherever you are in New Zealand. This is a great way to build an early childhood career and will set you up well for further study towards an early childhood teaching degree. You do not need to work in an early childhood service while studying although this will be helpful and is recommended.

 Graduates of this qualification will have the skills and knowledge to work as early childhood educators in a range of early childhood contexts, such as centre-based, hospital-based (play specialist assistant), home-based, nanny, parent-led, or culturally-based contexts including Pasifika or Māori.

What you will learn:

When you achieve this qualification you will know how to:

• Engage in early childhood education practices which reflect Te Tiriti o Waitangi/Treaty of Waitangi and the place of Māori as tangata whenua.
• Apply knowledge of key early childhood teaching, learning and development theories and approaches, and historical influences, to inform and guide practice in Aotearoa New Zealand.
• Implement the philosophy, principles, and practices embodied in Te Whāriki, and supporting resources, to promote children’s learning.
• Provide a healthy, safe, and inclusive environment for the protection, care, wellbeing and education of children/mokopuna as guided by legislative and regulatory requirements and children’s rights (UNCROC).
• Communicate effectively and include cultural protocols, whanaungatanga, and manaakitanga concepts, to develop and maintain inclusive and collaborative relationships with a wide range of people in an early childhood education and care community.
• Manage personal wellbeing and engage in the personal, professional, ethical and reflective practices required of an early childhood educator.
• Support children’s language, culture and identity, through the application of emerging knowledge of cultural competence, with consideration of diverse families and aspirations for their children’s learning.
• Use knowledge of philosophies, perspectives and contexts of early childhood education in Aotearoa New Zealand, including contemporary Māori and Pasifika education developments and implications for practice, to inform an emerging personal philosophy of practice.

Learner Story

[A passion for inspiring tamariki

Studying early childhood education at high school and growing up in a large extended whānau with many young tamariki (children), ignited a passion for working in the sector for Brooke Simpson (Ngāti Maniapoto).

Brooke Simpson

Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) New Zealand Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care (Level 5) [Version 2]

Early Childhood Teacher at BestStart](/study-with-us/student-stories/brooke-simpson/)

 

Programme Delivery

You will access courses online with academic support from academic staff members. Contact with your academic staff members and other students will occur at regional workshops, noho marae, tutorials and during practicums over the course of your study.

 

Workshop Schedule

February 2025 Workshop Schedule

 

Noho Marae

In this programme you will attend a 2 day overnight stay on an urban or rural marae. Attending a noho marae will give you the opportunity to build skills and knowledge needed to teach in a bi-cultural context.

For ākonga enrolled in Tō Tātou Tiriti courses, below are the details for noho marae offered in 2025 as confirmed to date. Please note that while these dates and venues are confirmed, a change might occasionally be required:

First half of the year:

• 29-30 March 2025: Ōrongomai Marae, Upper Hutt
• 5-6 April 2025: Puketeraki Marae, Dunedin
• 12-13 April 2025: Maungatapu Marae, Tauranga
• 3-4 May 2025: Te Puna Wānaka, Ara, Christchurch
• 10-11 May 2025: NorthTec Te Puna o Te Mātauranga Marae, Whangārei
• 24-25 May 2025: Te Ohaaki Marae, Huntly

Second half of the year (July-September period) – to be confirmed.

If you enrol in a course starting in September or October 2025 that has a noho marae as a compulsory course requirement you will not be able to complete the course until after the course end date. You will be awarded a Grade Pending result until you have attended a noho marae in the March - May 2026 period. 

 

 

Practicum

During the Professional Practice 1 (EDU508) course you will gain teaching experience through a five-week practicum at an approved licensed Early Childhood Setting. This offers you the opportunity to work alongside children and qualified early childhood teachers to integrate your learning in relation to everyday teaching experiences. During your practicum placement you are required to actively participate for 30 hours per week (6 hours a day) in the routines of the early childhood centre.

Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care (Level 5) FAQs

Maximum Programme Completion Time

To be awarded the qualification, the programme must be completed in no more than 3 years of first enrolment, unless there are exceptional circumstances.