Early childhood educator

Early childhood teachers provide education and care for pre-school aged children. They support children’s emotional, intellectual and physical development before primary school.

Find out what an early childhood educator does and the related Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses and pathways you can take to secure a job.

What is an early childhood educator?

As an early childhood educator, you will help prepare children for primary school. For example, you may teach:

basic literacy and numeracy
social skills
communication skills
art.

You’ll support play, and supervise activities to ensure safety. You may also write reports, and discuss progress with parents or guardians.

Find out more about early childhood educators(opens in a new window) and these related jobs on the Victorian Skills Gateway(opens in a new window):

Qualify as an early childhood educator

To become an early childhood educator, you’ll need to complete a Certificate III or Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care(opens in a new window) at a TAFE or training provider.

Qualify as an early childhood teacher

To become an early childhood teacher, you’ll need to complete a university degree in early childhood education, such as a Bachelor of Early Childhood Education.

Further information

For more information on study and career pathways in early education in Victoria, visit the become an early childhood teacher or educator page.

You can also explore these related TAFE and training courses on the Victorian Skills Gateway(opens in a new window):

You may be eligible for government funding to help pay for your course.

Median salary

The median weekly earnings for early childhood (pre-primary school) teachers in Australia is $1,660.

Source: Jobs and Skills Australia(opens in a new window)

Note this salary is current as of July 2024 and is indicative only. A range of salaries apply to different roles across the industry.

Job demand in Victoria

Below are the projected employment forecasts for early childhood (pre-primary school) teacher jobs in Victoria. Figures show the number of workers in 2023 and the new workers expected to enter the workforce by 2026.

‘New workers expected’ accounts for workers adding new jobs to the economy and replacing retirees over the next 3 years. These forecasts are estimates only. There will be additional jobs available as people move between jobs and industries.

Region	Workers 2023	Workforce growth 2023-2026	New workers needed by 2026
Victoria	8,965	3.0%	1,494
Melbourne – inner metropolitan	604	3.3%	107
Melbourne – inner south-east metropolitan	878	2.8%	142
Melbourne – southern metropolitan	1,554	3.2%	268
Melbourne – northern metropolitan	1,233	3.2%	214
Melbourne – eastern metropolitan	1,256	2.9%	207
Melbourne – western metropolitan	1,264	3.6%	238
Ballarat and surrounds (Central Highlands)	272	2.6%	42
Bendigo, Echuca and surrounds (Loddon Campaspe)	329	2.5%	50
Geelong, Colac and surrounds (Barwon)	429	3.7%	82
Gippsland	329	2.0%	45
Horsham and surrounds (Wimmera Southern Mallee)	71	0.7%	<10
Mildura, Swan Hill and surrounds (Mallee)	147	0.5%	13
Shepparton, Seymour and surrounds (Goulburn)	239	2.7%	38
Wangaratta, Wodonga and surrounds (Ovens Murray)	195	2.1%	27
Warrnambool, Hamilton and surrounds (Great South Coast)	163	0.2%	13

Source: Victorian Skills Authority employment forecast dashboard

Career story

Supporting children in new ways: Amanda’s outside school hours care (OSHC) career

“A common misconception is that working with children only offers care-based work. While that is part of it, there is a range of opportunities. All of that coming out of one sector is pretty amazing.”