Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care
CHC30125
Course duration: 18 months
Price: $3450 up front | $159.23 per week (payment plan)
How it works: Study online. With a difference.
Start date: Immediately, or whenever you're ready.
Entry requirements: Available in Victoria only | No formal prerequisites | RPL available | Work Placement required | Some clearances needed
Qualification type: Certificate III
CHC30125 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care is the minimum qualification required to work as an educator in a regulated early childhood education and care service in Australia. Start your career with Monarch Institute - available exclusively in Victoria.
CHC30125 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care is the minimum qualification required to work as an educator in a regulated early childhood education and care service in Australia. Start your career with Monarch Institute - available exclusively in Victoria.
Multi-award winning training provider
Latest qualification
Simulated learning environment
Nationally recognised
Course Summary
Working in early childhood education and care is one of the most rewarding careers you can choose — and the Certificate III is your starting point. It's the minimum qualification required to work in a regulated ECEC service in Australia, opening doors to roles in long day care, family day care, preschool, kindergarten, and outside school hours care.
Monarch's Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care is built by ECEC professionals who understand what it takes to work effectively with children from day one. The course is contextualised to the sector, developed with new entrants in mind, and delivered entirely online so you can study around your life.
You'll study through the Little.ly Early Learning Centre — a simulated ECEC setting that prepares you for the workplace before you arrive. With flexible trainer support, real-world scenarios, and 200 hours of supervised work placement, you'll be ready to work in a regulated service from the moment you graduate.
Early Childhood Educator
Family Day Care Educator
Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) Educator
This course is designed to be completed in up to 18 months. You are expected to submit assessments by the due dates within each block to maintain progress. The course is delivered across two study blocks, with Study Block 1 completed over approximately 5 months and Study Block 2 completed over approximately 13 months.
The course includes approximately 1,070 scheduled hours of learning, including 200 hours of work placement.
Students with extensive industry experience or prior knowledge of the sector may be able to complete the qualification in less than 18 months.
This course is delivered entirely online through an asynchronous, self-paced model. You'll access your learning materials, digital lessons, and assessments through an online portal that you can use anywhere, anytime.
Easy-to-follow digital lessons
Knowledge-check quizzes throughout
Access to the Little.ly Early Learning Centre — a simulated ECEC setting
Support from your trainer (email, phone, Zoom via Calendly)
Dedicated support team on hand to guide you
Online assessments
Access to a closed student Facebook group
Assessments are completed unit by unit across 12 modules. Assessment types include short answer questions, projects, case studies, role plays, portfolio tasks, journals, and interview questionnaires. Work Placement assessments include direct observation by a Monarch assessor, third-party reports from your workplace supervisor, and workplace practice verification. You must complete all theoretical and practical requirements before being deemed competent in a unit.
You can start immediately — or whenever you're ready. There are no fixed intake dates. Once enrolled, your 18-month training plan begins and you work through at your own pace.
Work Placement is a core part of this course, and like all early childhood education and care programmes, you'll need to source an approved placement in a regulated ECEC service.
The good news? Most students find a placement themselves through their current workplace, a local centre, or word of mouth. Once you've identified a placement, Monarch handles everything else, we'll assess and approve the host organisation, onboard your supervisor, and make sure everything meets the regulatory requirements before you set foot through the door.
If you get stuck, we've got you covered. Our Placement Matching Service guarantees to find you an approved placement for a small administrative fee of $250. We do the searching, you do the learning.
*Get in touch for more details
"I had a great experience studying with Monarch Institute. The course content was practical, well-structured, and relevant to real workplace situations. The learning platform was easy to use and flexible, allowing me to study at my own pace."
- Assef Abusafia, Monarch Institute Graduate
Entry Requirements
There are no formal prerequisites for the Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care. Once we receive your enrolment, our course consultants will be in touch to complete a pre-training review to make sure the course is the right fit for you. For students who haven't held a qualification at this level or above, we'll also ask you to complete a short language, literacy and numeracy quiz online before you begin.
Work Placement Requirements:
Before commencing Work Placement, students must hold a valid Working with Children Check, vaccinations, appropriate clearances, and complete national child safety training (Geccko). It is the student's responsibility to arrange and maintain these prior to commencing placement, at their own expense.
All students are offered the opportunity to apply for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). If you have existing skills, knowledge or experience relevant to this qualification — such as time spent working or volunteering in an ECEC setting — you may be eligible to have that recognised. Speak to a course consultant during your pre-training review to find out more. Refer to the Monarch RPL and Credit Transfer policy for full details.
First Aid (HLTAID012) is completed externally through an approved provider and submitted to Monarch as a Credit Transfer. The First Aid certificate is valid for 3 years; the CPR component must be renewed annually. It is the student's responsibility to arrange and maintain currency of their First Aid Certificate.
A computer or laptop with reliable internet access
A video recording device (e.g. smartphone or webcam) — required for some assessment activities
Microsoft Office or equivalent word processing software
Get Course Brochure
Enrol Now
Pathways
The Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care is the foundation of an ECEC career — and a direct pathway into the Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care (CHC50125). The Diploma opens up leadership and coordination roles across the sector, and can itself provide a pathway into a Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education.
University credit
Some universities may grant credit towards an early childhood degree based on your Certificate III units. Contact the university you're considering to confirm their credit transfer arrangements.
Related Monarch Courses
CHC50125 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care
CHCSS00147 Entry into Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care Skill Set
Block 1
Module 0: Introduction to Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care
Module 1: Working in Early Childhood Education and Care
CHCECE055 Meet legal and ethical obligations in children’s education and care
CHCECE056 Work effectively in children’s education and care
Module 2: Identify and report children and young people at risk
CHCPRT025 Identify and report children and young people at risk
Module 3: Workplace health and safety
HLTWHS001 Participate in workplace health and safety
Module 4: Food safety
HLTFSE001 Follow basic food safety practices (Elective)
Module 5 – Work placement Block 1
Work Placement: Complete 30 hours of work placement and submit workplace-related assessments and required documentation for Block 1 units.
Block 2
Module 6: Inclusion and diversity
CHCECE030 Support inclusion and diversity
CHCECE054 Encourage understanding of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples’ cultures
Module 7: Environmentally sustainable work practices
BSBSUS411 Implement and monitor environmentally sustainable work practices (Elective)
Module 8: Connect with the natural environment
CHCECE037 Support children to connect with the natural environment
Module 9: Care and nurturing
CHCECE031 Support children’s health, safety and wellbeing
CHCECE032 Nurture babies and toddlers
Module 10: Develop positive and respectful relationships with children
CHCECE033 Develop positive and respectful relationships with children
Module 11: Supporting Children’s Development
CHCECE034 Use an approved learning framework to guide practice
CHCECE035 Support the holistic learning and development of children
CHCECE036 Provide experiences to support children’s play and learning
CHCECE038 Observe children to inform practice
Module 12: First Aid
HLTAID012 Provide First Aid in an education and care setting (Credit Transfer - completed externally)
Module 13: Work Placement Block 2
Work Placement: Complete 170 hours of work placement and submit workplace-related assessments and required documentation for Block 2 units. Several units are linked to 160 hours of mandatory placement.
Start your ECEC career
The Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care is the minimum qualification required to work as an educator in a regulated early childhood service in Australia. This is your starting point — and Monarch will get you there.
Victoria only
This course is currently available exclusively in Victoria, Australia. It is not available to offshore students or Australians residing outside of Victoria.
200 hours work placement included
Gain supervised, real-world experience in a regulated early childhood education and care setting. Monarch assessors support you throughout your placement and conduct direct observation visits to assess your practical skills.
Nationally recognised
The CHC30125 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care is nationally recognised under the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) and listed as an approved qualification by ACECQA. It is also the direct entry point into the Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care.
Check out our reviews
Trainers
Fees