Check your qualification is NQF approved
The National Quality Framework (NQF) sets out the minimum qualification requirements for educators working in children's education and care services. There are also some state and territory specific qualification requirements for working with school age children (e.g. in outside school hours care services).
Some states and territories require early childhood teachers (ECTs) to hold teacher registration or accreditation. It is also important to note that individual employers may specify higher qualification requirements (for example, a four year ECT degree) as part of their employment policy.
To see if you are qualified to work in an Australian education and care service with children preschool age and under (e.g. preschool, kindergarten, long day care, family day care or out of school hours care) you can:
- Use the qualification checker
- View the list of approved OSHC qualifications
- Search the NQF approved qualifications list
1. Use the qualification checker
Our qualifications checker allows you to check whether your qualifications are recognised under the NQF and should only take a few minutes to complete. The checker will guide you through a series of questions to confirm if you are a qualified educator. It will also tell you what evidence you can show to demonstrate you are qualified.
There may be a small number of individuals who were previously recognised as qualified educators under former laws whose recognition will not be captured by the checker. If you believe you were previously recognised as a qualified educator and the checker does not confirm this, contact your regulatory authority.
The checker cannot be used to determine your suitability for teacher registration or skilled migration.
Launch the qualifications checker
The checker is a guide only. If you have concerns or questions about the information in the checker, you can contact us.
2. View the list of approved OSHC qualifications
Out of school hours care (OSHC) is the name commonly given to services that provide education and care to school age children before/after school and during school holidays.
There are no national qualification requirements for educators educating and caring for school age children in OSHC services. State and territory specific qualification requirements apply in Australian Capital Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia and Northern Territory.
The OSHC qualifications list detailing required qualifications in these jurisdictions is available in PDF or Excel format.
If you have enquiries about state or territory specific provisions, contact your regulatory authority.
If you are an educator with a qualification that does not appear on the OSHC qualifications list, you can apply to ACECQA for a school age qualification assessment.
3. Search the NQF approved qualifications list
To work in a family day care or centre based service with children preschool age and under, educators must hold, or in some circumstances be actively working towards an approved qualification.
Search the list of approved and former approved early childhood teaching, diploma and certificate III level qualifications on this page. The list also includes approved first aid, emergency asthma and anaphylaxis qualifications. The list it is easy to use but if you need some guidance read the how to search file.
If you are an educator with a qualification that does not appear on the below list, you can apply to ACECQA for individual assessment. If you are a provider (e.g. university, VET provider) wanting to add a qualification to the below list, you can apply to ACECQA for this as well.
| Qualification Level | Awarding Institution | Qualification Name | Qualification Code | Date Awarded | Where Qualification is approved | Awarding Institution Country | Important Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anaphylaxis Management only | Any Australian registered training organisation | Course in Anaphylaxis Awareness | 10313NAT / 21827VIC | Any date | National | Australia | ACECQA assessed and approved this program on 17 December 2012. This qualification only satisfies the requirements for anaphylaxis management training. As stated on www.training.gov.au, currency period ended on 31 October 2012. |
| Anaphylaxis Management only | Any Australian registered training organisation | Course in Anaphylaxis Management | 30728QLD | Any date before 13 March 2013 | National | Australia | This qualification is no longer current. |
| Anaphylaxis Management only | Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) | Anaphylaxis E-Training for Australasian Early Childhood Education and Care | Any date before 30 February 2021 | National | Australia | ACECQA assessed and reapproved this program on 7 February 2018. The course may also be known as 'Anaphylaxis E-Training for Australasian Childcare'. This qualification only satisfies the requirements for anaphylaxis management training. |
|
| Anaphylaxis Management only | Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) | Anaphylaxis Training for NSW Childcare | Any date before 31 August 2017 | National | Australia | ACECQA assessed and approved this program on 31 August 2012. This qualification only satisfies the requirements for anaphylaxis management training. This course is no longer current. |
|
| Anaphylaxis Management only | Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) | Anaphylaxis Training for WA Childcare | Any date before 31 August 2017 | National | Australia | ACECQA assessed and approved this program on 31 August 2012. This qualification only satisfies the requirements for anaphylaxis management training. This course is no longer current. |
|
| Anaphylaxis Management only | Any Australian registered training organisation | Vocational Graduate Certificate in Anaphylaxis Management Training | 21830VIC | Any date before 30 October 2012 | National | Australia | This qualification is no longer current. |
| Anaphylaxis Management only | Any Australian registered training organisation | Ensure the health and safety of children | CHCCN301C / CHCCN301B | Any date before 30 June 2013 | National | Australia | This course is no longer current. CHCCN301C was superseded by CHCECE002 on 30 June 2013. |
| Anaphylaxis Management only | Department of Education Western Australia | Course in Anaphylaxis Management in Western Australian Education and Care Services | Any date | National | Australia | ACECQA assessed and approved this program on 2 May 2014. This qualification only satisfies the requirements for anaphylaxis management training. | |
| Anaphylaxis Management only | Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne | Management & Prevention of Allergy & Anaphylaxis | Any date before 27 November 2019 | National | Australia | ACECQA assessed and approved this program on 27 November 2014. This course satisfies the requirements for anaphylaxis management training. |
|
| Anaphylaxis Management only | NSW Department of Education and Communities | Anaphylaxis e-learning program | APTSs | Any date before April 2021 | National | Australia | ACECQA assessed and approved this program on 9 January 2015. This qualification only satisfies the requirements for anaphylaxis management training. |