Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood Education)

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

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.

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.