Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood Education)

You will gain the skills and knowledge needed with the Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) to work as a registered early childhood teacher in a variety of settings including:

• kindergartens
• early childhood centres

You can study this qualification full or part-time, so you can keep working and living your life. You can also study from anywhere in New Zealand.

This qualification is NZQA recognised, and approved by The Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand . When you graduate you can apply for teacher registration.

Qualification Update

New Learners

This programme is now closed to new enrolments. Please head to our new OP7031 Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) if you are a new learner wanting to enrol.

OP7031 Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood Education)

Current learners

If you were already enrolled in OP7030 Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) up to and including Trimester 2, 2021, you can continue to enrol in your next course as normal to complete your qualification.

As per the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand regulations for this degree, you will have an overall maximum of six years to complete your studies from the time you started your first course in the programme.

If you need help with a study plan to complete your qualification in this timeframe, please contact us.

What you will learn

When you achieve the Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) you will:

• be able to work effectively with young children their parents, families and whānau
• be able to plan for a safe, high-quality teaching and learning environment
• know about current early childhood education and care practices
• understand the importance of the people, places and things that children value
• understand how bicultural, multicultural, social and political contexts that influence teaching and learning
• know the ethical, legal and professional responsibilities of teaching.

Juliette - Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) graduate

Blended learning

This programme includes 18 courses delivered using a personalised, blended learning approach. You will access courses online, along with academic support from lecturers and interactions with other students.

You will have face-to-face contact with lecturers and other students at workshops, noho marae and tutorials. You will also complete practicum.

Workshops

We will hold workshops, including noho marae, in central regional locations. Their exact locations will depend on student numbers. Locations may include Northland, Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, New Plymouth Palmerston North, Lower Hutt/Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.

You will need to attend 10 workshops, including three noho marae during your degree.

Noho marae

Noho marae are two-day workshops held over at urban and rural marae around New Zealand. They will give you the chance to build the skill and knowledge needed to teach in a bi-cultural context. 

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.

Tutorials

We hold tutorials every trimester. They will give you the opportunity to explore your learning with the personalised support of regional lecturers. This learning can be further explored with other students in online group forums.

Practicums

Practicums give you the chance to work with children and alongside qualified early childhood teachers. They will help you integrate your learning in to every day teaching experiences.

During your degree, you need to do four five-week practicums in a number of approved licenced early childhood centres. Each practicum is an assessed course. You will do one in years one and two of your degree, and two practicums in the final year.

During each practicum:

• you will have support from an associate teacher working in the early childhood centre and your regional lecturer. 
• you will complete at least 35 working hours per week working 5-6 hours per day with the children
• you will be part of all aspects of the centre’s programme during this time.

We will support you to find suitable practicum placements. Before each practicum, you will also attend practicum workshops to prepare you.

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.