Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood Education)

The Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) will equip ākonga with a recognised, flexible and applied teaching qualification in the early childhood education context.

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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

7

• Credits

360

• Cost $17,208 NZ Domestic Not including any course materials or external exam fees.
• Student loan Available. 

Student loans and eligibility

Practical courses connect theory with practice and are strongly aligned with sector needs to ensure work-ready graduates equipped with skills and knowledge required for ECE teaching positions or for further study at postgraduate level.

This qualification will prepare you for a career as an early childhood teacher within a range of ECE settings including, kindergartens, education and care centres, teacher-led home-based care agencies, and puna reo or other language immersion settings. Graduates of the programme are eligible to apply to the Teaching Council Aotearoa for Teacher Registration

 

What you will learn:

Graduates of the programme will have the skills to:

• Demonstrate an in-depth understanding and knowledge of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, te reo Māori and tikanga Māori in early childhood education settings to support tamariki Māori to enjoy educational success as Māori
• Utilise skills for engaging appropriately and effectively with tamariki, their parents, families and whānau, aiga, as well as colleagues, stakeholder professionals and external organisations supporting early childhood education settings.
• Critically analyse effective practices for planning, differentiating and implementing learning and teaching practices for tamariki and rangatahi of diverse backgrounds and which meet specific learning needs across the full range of abilities in early childhood education settings
• Utilise current research on tamariki development in the physical, social, intellectual, emotional and cultural domains to facilitate accurate and useful planning, programming and assessment of learning and for learning in early childhood education settings
• Demonstrate learning gained in multiple, varied early childhood practicum opportunities with the support of accomplished mentors
• Apply critical reflection to continually improve teaching knowledge and skills, and collaborate effectively with professional colleagues within and beyond their early childhood education context.

Teacher Registration

Once you have successfully completed this programme, you will be eligible to apply for registration and a practising certificate to begin your teaching career in New Zealand. A Tōmua | Provisional Practising Certificate is the first practising certificate you will hold. For New Zealand trained teachers, a Tōmua | Provisional Practising Certificate is issued or renewed for three years.

For more information please visit this link: 

Teaching Council of New Zealand, Applying for a Tōmua | Provisional Practising Certificate

 

Learner story

[Making a difference for tamariki

Enrolling in the Open Polytechnic | Te Pūkenga Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) meant taking a leap of faith for learner Emma Ludeman.

Emma Ludeman

Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood Education)

Early Childhood Teacher at Childspace](/study-with-us/student-stories/emma-ludeman/)

 

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

Noho marae are held at urban and rural marae around New Zealand and give you the opportunity to build your skills and knowledge required to teach effectively in a bicultural context.

Noho marae are held at urban and rural marae around New Zealand and give you the opportunity to build the skills and knowledge required to teach effectively in a bicultural 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. Please note that a Grade Pending result will not satisfy any pre-requisite requirements, you must have a pass grade before you have met the pre-requisite.

 

 

 

Practicum

During the programme you will gain teaching experience in five assessed practicums (6 hours a day, five days a week) totalling 120 days in a variety of approved licenced early childhood centres. Each practicum offers you the opportunity to work alongside children and qualified early childhood teachers to integrate your learning in relation to everyday teaching experiences. You will attend practicum workshops each year to prepare you for the practicum experience.

 During each practicum:

• you will have support from an associate teacher working in the early childhood centre and your regional lecturer.
• you will be part of all aspects of the centre’s programme during this time.

This programme has different enrolment dates for new learners

This programmes enrolment dates are different for new learners. Please check the table on the 'Choose course and apply' tab for the exact date you need to enrol by.

Learn more

 

Maximum Programme Completion Time

To be awarded the qualification, the programme must be completed in no more than 6 years of first enrolment, unless there are exceptional circumstances.