New Zealand Certificate in Early Childhood Education and Care (Level 4)

Entry requirements

To enrol in this programme you need to have NCEA Level 2, or equivalent and be a minimum of 17 years of age at the start of the programme.

20 years old or over

If you are 20 years of age or over and do not hold the minimum entry requirements you will be eligible to be enrolled where your previous educational, work or life experience indicates you have a reasonable likelihood of success.

English language requirements

International applicants will need an IELTS (General or Academic) score of 5 with no band score lower than 5, or equivalent.

If English or Māori is not the applicant’s first language, applicants will need an IELTS (General or Academic) score of 5 with no band score lower than 5, or equivalent.

Learn more about English language entry requirements

Workplace component

There is a practical workplace component for each course requiring you to attend an early childhood setting for a minimum of three hours a week in one of the following types of New Zealand settings:

• 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.

International students and domestic students living overseas

You can study this programme part-time if you're an international student living in New Zealand. You will need to be in paid employment with a valid work permit.

You cannot study this programme if you're an international student living overseas, or a New Zealand citizen living overseas.

Learn more about studying as an international student

Computer and internet requirements

This programme is delivered online. To complete this programme you will need access to a laptop or desktop computer, reliable broadband internet connection and a data plan able to support online learning such as streaming of videos (including YouTube), downloading content, and writing and submitting online assessments. If you are unsure if your current computer or internet access allows you to complete your online learning with us, please contact us before applying to enrol.

Learn more about our online learning and study tools.