First QUT Birth to Five graduates move from diploma to teaching

Five early childhood educators have become the first graduates of Queensland University of Technology’s Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (Birth to Five), highlighting a pathway for experienced educators to become qualified teachers.

The graduates entered the degree with early childhood education and care (ECEC) experience and a Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care from TAFE Queensland. They completed their teaching qualification in 18 months through QUT’s diploma-entry pathway.

The degree prepares teachers to work with children from birth to five in prior-to-school settings. It is offered online across Australia and on campus in Brisbane, giving educators the option to study while continuing to work. School leavers and others without an ECEC qualification can enrol in the three-year full-time degree.

For graduate Kaela Lowe, online study helped make the transition from educator to teacher possible while balancing work and family commitments. Lowe worked at C&K services in Chinchilla and Tara during her studies. She is now the teacher and director of C&K Meandarra Community Kindergarten in Queensland’s Western Downs.

Lowe said she could plan her study around assessment dates provided at the beginning of each semester. She was also motivated by the need for qualified early childhood teachers in regional Queensland.

QUT’s diploma-entry pathway gives eligible educators credit for their prior qualification, reducing the full-time degree from three years to two. Educators who also meet the work experience requirements can apply for additional credit, allowing them to complete it in 18 months. The shorter timeframe therefore depends on each applicant’s eligibility.

Professor Terri Bourke, Head of the QUT School of Education, said the degree builds on the knowledge and skills educators bring from their previous study and work. According to QUT, graduates develop specialist knowledge of child development, play-based learning, inclusion, trauma-aware education, child safety and partnerships with families and communities.

The course was developed with input from an Early Childhood Education Stakeholder Advisory Group comprising policy leaders, major employers and sector organisations. Professor Bourke said offering online and campus study was part of QUT’s effort to make teacher education accessible to educators in different locations.

The qualification includes professional experience with children from birth to three and in kindergarten settings. QUT says students may be able to complete some placement and work-integrated learning requirements at their existing workplace, provided the setting meets its conditions.

Graduates hold an early childhood teacher qualification recognised nationally by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA). The Birth to Five degree is designed for teaching in ECEC settings and does not lead to primary or secondary teacher registration. QUT offers a separate Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) for students seeking a qualification that also enables them to teach in the early years of school.

For Lowe, the qualification has already led to a teaching and leadership role in a regional kindergarten. For the wider ECEC workforce, the first graduating cohort provides an example of how prior qualifications and experience can form a pathway into early childhood teaching.