The Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) (Birth – 5 years) is designed to equip students with the necessary skills needed to teach in Christian, private, state and corporate early childhood education and care services in both Australia and overseas.
Avondale University graduates are reflective, creative, and confident classroom teachers who have also acquired service leadership knowledge and skills.
The degree qualifies and prepares graduates to teach children from birth to five years of age and to be responsible ethical leaders to children, families and staff. The BEd (EC) (Birth – 5 years) is a highly practical degree with hands-on classroom experience throughout the course. Students will engage in seven professional experience placements. These are undertaken in various types of early childhood settings to enable the application of theory in a practical setting.
The degree is offered on campus and online making it even easier for students to fit study around your work and personal life.
Graduates of this course are not eligible for primary teacher registration.
There are many options for satisfying the entry requirements for our courses. An applicant needs to meet at least one of the following entry requirements to be given an offer to study at Avondale.
*Applicants must not be a current year 12 (or equivalent) student and must be 18 years or older at the time of commencing their course.
In exceptional circumstances, an applicant may be admitted based on equivalent qualifications or work and life experience as assessed by the Course Convenor or delegate and/or the DVC Academic.
Complete and submit a Personal Statement for Initial Teaching Training (PSITE) for the Course Convenor to assess.
who are on a student visa:
For information regarding visas refer to: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/student-500.
who are on a visa other than a student visa:
Students are considered a domestic student if they hold a permanent residency visa.
who do not require a visa:
English Language Requirements
Applicants whose primary language is not English must demonstrate English language proficiency by:
Applicants whose primary language is not English must demonstrate English language proficiency by:
Applicants who have completed prior study may be eligible for advanced standing (credit recognition). For example, applicants with a Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care (or higher) will be eligible for a minimum of 8 units of advanced standing (credit recognition). Refer to the Advanced Standing Policy for more information. Additional credit may be awarded for approved early childhood work experience as a room leader.
Applicants should discuss their eligibility for advanced standing with the Admissions Team or the Course Convenor.
The Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) (Birth-5 years) consists of 32 units of study and 192 credit points.
This course has five areas of study:
Curriculum Studies - EDCE Codes focus on the development of practices and processes of teaching the play-based, intentional, socially just and inclusive early childhood curriculum. They also allow the pre-service educator to develop familiarity with curriculum framework documents and the National Quality Standards and National Quality Regulations for Australian early childhood settings.
Christian Studies - WHPE, EDCE & EDUC Codes reflect the unique philosophy of Avondale and convey in a systematic and intentional manner the religious, ethical and social justice values of Avondale’s own faith tradition; the Seventh-day Adventist Church. There is a particular emphasis on the purposes and practices of Christian education.
Education Studies - EDUC Codes provide a theoretical base to the teaching and learning process while contributing to the development of attributes of caring, competence, commitment, and critical-reflection.
Professional Development and Experience - EDEP Codes address the strategies, skills and practices involved in teaching in an early childhood education and care setting and provide opportunities for continued professional experience, offering increasing responsibility within a variety of settings for periods of one to six weeks at a time.
Academic Literacy Studies - ARTS Codes scaffold students' academic literacy and academic integrity skills.
Rules of Progression - Normally students complete 100 and 200 level units before progressing to higher units. All EDEP Professional Development and Experience units have an enrolment pre-requisite of the prior EDEP unit.
Year 1 Semester 1
EDUC11106 | Health & Safety in ECEC |
ARTS11110 | The Art of Scholarship |
WHPE10101 | Foundations of Wellbeing |
EDEP10000 | Professional Development and Experience IA |
Year 1 Semester 2
EDUC22500 | Pedagogies of Relationships |
ARTS12500 | Play-based Pedagogies |
WHPE12000 | EC Curriculum - The Arts I |
EDEP11000 | Professional Development and Experience IB |
Year 2 Semester 1
EDCE22000 | EC Curriculum - The Arts II |
EDUC29610 | Indigenous & Multicultural Education Studies in ECEC |
EDUC28000 | Administration & Management I |
EDEP20000 | Professional Development and Experience IIA |
Year 2 Semester 2
EDUC23500 | Child Development II |
HPFH20101 | Families and Their Communities |
EDCE21500 | EC Curriculum - Numeracy Technology & Science |
EDEP20100 | Professional Development and Experience IIB |
Year 3 Semester 1
EDUC37400 | Planning Assessment and Evaluation |
EDUC28100 | Administration and Management II - Journeys of Change |
EDCE21400 | EC Curriculum - Outdoor Play & Nature Play |
EDEP30000 | Professional Development and Experience IIIA |
Year 3 Semester 2
EDUC21210 | Inclusion & Early Intervention - Birth - 5 yrs |
EDCE31290 | Digital Technologies in Early Childhood |
EDCE23000 | EC Curriculum - Multiple Literacies |
EDEP30100 | Professional Development and Experience IIIB |
Year 4 Semester 1
EDCE25100 | EC Spirituality Faith & Christian ECEC |
EDUC38300 | Leadership & Advocacy |
EDUC26100 | Alternative Pedagogies & Historical Perspectives in ECE |
EDEP35000 | Professional Development & Experience IVA |
Year 4 Semester 2
EDUC30105 | Exploring a Philosophy of Christian Education |
EDUC31117 | Social & Environmental Education |
EDUC35200 | Curriculum in EC – Contemporary Issues |
EDEP35100 | Professional Development & Experience IVB |
Students have regular opportunities to practice their developing teaching skills in the classroom through Professional Experience Placement. For those in an undergraduate degree this is a minimum of 95 days. This provides opportunities to develop essential mastery of the Graduate Teaching Standards, required by the Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) prior to graduation.
It is important that teacher education students:
Students must provide evidence of compliance on arrival at each services for their Professional Experience Placement. Evidence includes:
If students become ineligible to visit services for Professional Experience Placement or are barred from attending at a service for any reason, they will not be able to complete this degree.
Students need to demonstrate their fitness for teaching to complete a Professional Experience Placement. This means being able to:
Teacher education students should seek Professional Experience Placements in services where no relatives are working or attending. This is to avoid a conflict of interest in mentoring and assessing teacher education students. If applying to such a service, relationships must be disclosed, with Avondale reserving the right to allow the Professional Experience Placement. Failure to disclose this information may mean that the grade for the Professional Experience Placement is subject to revision or annulment. Students can only complete one placement at a service where they are present or past employees.
Students will need to obtain a New South Wales Working with Children Check, as well as the equivalent Working with Children Check in any state or territory in which they intend to complete a Professional Experience Placement. Students enrolled in an initial teacher education degree will need to have obtained an NSW WWCC no later than the end of their first year.
Students need to apply for a Working with Children Check online through the Office of the Children's Guardian. After the application is complete, the application number and the expiry date must be emailed to the Professional Experience Placement Officer.
E: [email protected]
Students are required to complete the Child Protection Awareness Training within the first two weeks of the semester, before the first Professional Experience Placement. The training is a self-paced online e-learning course available through the NSW Department of Education. Students should save their evidence of completion as a PDF file and email it to the Professional Experience Placement Officer.
E: [email protected].
When a student has completed the Child Protection Awareness training, they must register for MyPL, and then complete Child Protection Updates annually.
The specific focus of the annual Child Protection Update varies each year, depending on current needs as identified by the NSW Department of Education. The aim of the course is to provide a general refresher on recognising and responding to suspected risk of harm across a range of categories. It reminds those working in an education context of the actions to take when identifying and responding to students at risk of harm.
The NSW Department of Education mandates that students receive anaphylaxis management training before commencing their first Professional Experience Placement. Students are required to complete ASCIA anaphylaxis e-training for Australian schools.
Once completed, please print, scan, and email the certificate(s) to the Professional Experience Placement Officer.
E: [email protected]
Students who study off-shore must complete their placements at an English speaking childcare service that uses the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia v2.0, 2022. International students who complete their placements in Australia may apply to the Australian Government for a visa.
The Placement Officer is available to assist students with all post admission requirements and can be contacted at:
E: [email protected]
T: 02 4980 2180
The Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) (Birth - 5 yrs) is accredited by the Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority and is recognised as an accredited course by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Authority.
Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) (Birth – 5 years) graduates leave with the skills for potential employment as an:
Graduates are qualified to teach in the prior-to-school settings for birth - 5 years in both Australia and overseas. In addition to education-related careers, teachers often find careers in the corporate world where employers value organisational and relationship skills.