Current requirements for tertiary qualifications in early childhood education: implications for policy

The Office of Early Childhood Education and Child Care (OECECC) within the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) commissioned the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) to map and analyse currently available Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) tertiary courses across Australia. ACER is undertaking this project in partnership with Monash University. This report considers issues raised by the project and sets out four key issues raised by this work, detailing the possible policy implications that could flow from the findings, in addition to potential further research implications. These are: (1) lack of clarity about course purpose; (2) maintaining sufficient early childhood content in early childhood courses; (3) providing appropriate and sufficient professional experience in early childhood settings; and (4) the availability of qualified academic staff in early childhood education.

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