Early Childhood Teacher
Early childhood teachers plan and run play-based learning programs for children from birth to about five, in the years before formal school starts.
- Median salary*
- $75,400
3.7%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 26,300
0.8%vs last year
- Projected growth*
- +12%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Moderate
- automation risk
- Average hours*
- 40/wk
matches all-jobs average
- Shortage status*
- In shortage
national
Most early childhood teachers work in kindergartens, preschools and long day care centres, often as the educational lead in a room staffed by educators and assistants. The role differs from an early childhood educator's in the qualification behind it, which carries responsibility for designing the program and assessing each child's development. Services are regulated under the National Quality Framework, and entry requires an ACECQA approved teaching qualification, with teacher registration required in some states and territories and not others.
How much do early childhood teachers earn?
The median full-time salary for an early childhood teacher is $75,400 per annum, before tax, up $15,600 since 2018.
Where you work matters more than anything else, because teachers in local government and community kindergartens are usually covered by enterprise agreements with annual increments while private long day care providers set their own rates. Taking on the educational leader role, directing a service or moving into a funded kindergarten program can lift your classification. Your years of experience and classification step move pay up over time in most services.
What does an early childhood teacher do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Planning and running play-based programs that follow the Early Years Learning Framework
- Observing and documenting each child's development, then using those records to plan what comes next
- Supervising children through daily routines such as meals, rest and outdoor play
- Meeting with families about their child's progress, and about any concerns that come up
- Keeping records and practices in line with the National Quality Framework and child safety requirements
What skills do early childhood teachers need?
Employers look for teaching and instruction, curriculum and lesson design, classroom and behaviour management, backed by Storypark fluency and strong empathy and interpersonal care.
Specialist skills
- Teaching and instruction
- Curriculum and lesson design
- Classroom and behaviour management
- Student assessment and reporting
- Pastoral care and wellbeing
Software and tools
- Storypark
- Xplor Education
- Kindyhub
- Educa
- Microsoft Office
General skills
- Empathy and interpersonal care
- Written communication
- People leadership
Is the job growing?
About 26,300 people work as early childhood teachers in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 12% over the decade to 2035. That's healthy, above-average growth, and the role should stay in solid demand.
How do you become an early childhood teacher?
Here's the path most early childhood teachers take, step by step.
- 1Complete an ACECQA approved early childhood teaching qualification
Usually a four-year Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood), or a graduate diploma or master's if you already hold a degree. ACECQA lists approved courses, and the qualification has to include supervised professional experience in a service.
- 2Meet the screening and registration requirements where you live
Registration with the local teacher authority applies to early childhood teachers in some states and territories and not in others, so check your own rule. You will also need a Working with Children Check and a first aid certificate covering anaphylaxis and asthma.
- 3Start as a graduate in a room, usually with a mentor
The first year is where programming, documentation and family conversations settle into a routine. Many services run a graduate program or pair new teachers with an experienced educational leader.
- 4Take on curriculum leadership
Educational leader is the usual next step, with responsibility for guiding the program across the service rather than one room. Some teachers add a postgraduate qualification in early childhood leadership, and others move into a school-based preschool or primary classroom.
Study routes we have checked
Qualifications that are a recognised way into this role, and what else you need.
- Bachelor of Early Childhood and Primary Education
A recognised route into this role
Choose an ACECQA-approved early-childhood-teacher qualification for the intended age range and jurisdiction. Complete placements, screening and applicable teacher-registration requirements; educator certificates and diplomas are different routes. This catalogue groups awards: verify the chosen provider, programme and intake; the family-level link is not confirmation that every offering is approved.
- Bachelor of Early Childhood Education
A recognised route into this role
Choose an ACECQA-approved early-childhood-teacher qualification for the intended age range and jurisdiction. Complete placements, screening and applicable teacher-registration requirements; educator certificates and diplomas are different routes. This catalogue groups awards: verify the chosen provider, programme and intake; the family-level link is not confirmation that every offering is approved.
- Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (Birth to Five)
A recognised route into this role
Choose an ACECQA-approved early-childhood-teacher qualification for the intended age range and jurisdiction. Complete placements, screening and applicable teacher-registration requirements; educator certificates and diplomas are different routes. This catalogue groups awards: verify the chosen provider, programme and intake; the family-level link is not confirmation that every offering is approved.
- Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood & Primary)
A recognised route into this role
Choose an ACECQA-approved early-childhood-teacher qualification for the intended age range and jurisdiction. Complete placements, screening and applicable teacher-registration requirements; educator certificates and diplomas are different routes. This catalogue groups awards: verify the chosen provider, programme and intake; the family-level link is not confirmation that every offering is approved.
- Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood and Primary)
A recognised route into this role
Choose an ACECQA-approved early-childhood-teacher qualification for the intended age range and jurisdiction. Complete placements, screening and applicable teacher-registration requirements; educator certificates and diplomas are different routes. This catalogue groups awards: verify the chosen provider, programme and intake; the family-level link is not confirmation that every offering is approved.
- Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood Education)
A recognised route into this role
Choose an ACECQA-approved early-childhood-teacher qualification for the intended age range and jurisdiction. Complete placements, screening and applicable teacher-registration requirements; educator certificates and diplomas are different routes. This catalogue groups awards: verify the chosen provider, programme and intake; the family-level link is not confirmation that every offering is approved.
- Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood Teaching)
A recognised route into this role
Choose an ACECQA-approved early-childhood-teacher qualification for the intended age range and jurisdiction. Complete placements, screening and applicable teacher-registration requirements; educator certificates and diplomas are different routes. This catalogue groups awards: verify the chosen provider, programme and intake; the family-level link is not confirmation that every offering is approved.
- Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood)
A recognised route into this role
Choose an ACECQA-approved early-childhood-teacher qualification for the intended age range and jurisdiction. Complete placements, screening and applicable teacher-registration requirements; educator certificates and diplomas are different routes. This catalogue groups awards: verify the chosen provider, programme and intake; the family-level link is not confirmation that every offering is approved.
Ready to apply as an early childhood teacher?
Whether you're working toward becoming an early childhood teacher or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can an early childhood teacher move to?
Moving into Middle School Teacher typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $50,600 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle School Teacher Early childhood teachers bring foundational curriculum knowledge and pastoral care to middle school, where they support students transitioning into adolescence. | +$50,600 | 94% | minimal |
| Secondary School Teacher Early childhood teachers bring pedagogical skills and student wellbeing expertise to secondary teaching, though subject specialisation may be needed. | +$45,300 | 89% | minimal |
| Primary School Teacher Early childhood teachers bring child development knowledge and play-based learning to primary classrooms, with registration allowing a move across sectors. | +$40,400 | 80% | minimal |
| Special Education Teacher Early childhood teachers bring inclusive practice and developmental expertise to special education, adapting their skills to students with diverse needs. | +$36,900 | 89% | minimal |
| Childcare Centre Manager Early childhood teachers bring curriculum leadership and child development knowledge to centre management, with business and compliance skills added through further study. | +$27,700 | 17% | reskill |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as an early childhood teacher?
The typical early childhood teacher is 40 years old; 98% are women, 48% work full-time, and full-timers average 40 hours a week.
- 40
- Median age
- 98%
- Female share
- 48%
- Full-time
- +0h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being an early childhood teacher?
The day has a fixed rhythm of group time, indoor and outdoor play, meals and rest, so the teaching happens in short stretches between care routines. The documentation is real: observations, learning stories, transition statements and quality records usually get done outside the children's hours or in rostered planning time that varies between services. People who enjoy the work tend to be comfortable with that mix of constant interaction and quiet paperwork, and with the fact that a three-year-old can change the plan completely.
What people like
- You watch development happen week to week. Language, friendships and independence change quickly between two and five, and the observations you write become the record of it.
- Play is the curriculum. You plan from children's interests and open-ended materials rather than a set syllabus, so the work stays creative.
- Continuity with the same group. Staying in one room means you know each child well and build working relationships with families over a year or more.
- A team around you. Teachers work with educators, assistants and visiting therapists, so planning and the hard days are shared.
What people find hard
- The ratio has no slack. Rooms are staffed to minimum numbers, so when someone calls in sick, groups get combined, relief staff step in and your planning time can disappear.
- Documentation follows you home. Observations, learning stories and quality paperwork often cannot be finished while children are in the room, and not every service rosters enough time for it.
- Some family conversations are hard. Raising a concern about a child's development or behaviour can be uncomfortable, particularly when it happens in a doorway at pick-up.
- The ladder inside a service is short. Progression usually means educational leader, then director, or a move into school teaching or the public sector.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ early childhood teachers?
Education and Training employs the largest share of early childhood teachers, followed by Health Care and Social Assistance.
Top employing industries
- 1Education and Training
- 2Health Care and Social Assistance
- 3Public Administration and Safety
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Bachelor degree | 52% | |
|---|---|---|
| Postgraduate | 26% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 13% | |
| Other | 9% |
Will AI replace early childhood teachers?
AI touches the documentation side of this job more than the teaching itself, which is why the overall exposure sits in the middle. Tools such as Storypark, Xplor and Educa already help draft learning stories and keep records in one place, saving time without changing who knows the child. Being in the room, reading how a group of four-year-olds is going and talking with families is the part that stays with the teacher.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Time in the room with childrenSupervision, care routines and settling a distressed child cannot be handed to software.35%low
- Observation and documentationApps can turn your notes into a draft learning story, though the judgement about what a child's play actually shows stays with you.30%high
- Program planning and learning experiencesSoftware can suggest activities and templates mapped to the Early Years Learning Framework, but you still choose what suits the children in front of you.20%moderate
- Family communication and meetingsNewsletters and translated updates are easy to automate, but a conversation about a developmental concern needs a person in the room.15%moderate
Moves least exposed to AI
These career moves from early childhood teacher work are rated low for AI exposure:
- Primary School Teacher
High skill overlap (80%), little retraining to get there, and a low automation-risk profile.
- Special Education Teacher
High skill overlap (89%), little retraining to get there, and a low automation-risk profile.
- Middle School Teacher
High skill overlap (94%), little retraining to get there, and a low automation-risk profile.
- Childcare Centre Manager
Some skill overlap (17%), reskill to get there, and a low automation-risk profile.
Common questions about becoming an early childhood teacher
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do early childhood teachers earn?
Full-time early childhood teachers earn a median of $75,400 per year before tax. What sits behind that figure is the type of service you work in, your classification step and whether an enterprise agreement covers you, so two teachers with the same experience can be paid quite differently.
How do you become an early childhood teacher?
You need an ACECQA approved early childhood teaching qualification, usually a four-year degree, plus a Working with Children Check and a first aid certificate covering anaphylaxis and asthma. Teacher registration applies in some states and territories and not others, so check the rule where you intend to work. Most people then start as a graduate in a kindergarten or long day care room.
Are early childhood teachers in demand?
Early childhood teachers are currently in shortage nationally, and employment is projected to grow 12% over the decade to 2035. For someone looking for work, positions come up across long day care, community kindergartens and school-based preschool programs rather than in one type of service.
Will AI replace early childhood teachers?
AI reaches the documentation side of the job first, with tools such as Storypark and Educa helping draft learning stories and keep records together. Deciding what a child's play shows, supervising a room and talking a family through a concern are not things software does. Most services treat these tools as a way to cut paperwork time, not to replace the teacher.
What can early childhood teachers move into?
Primary school teaching builds on the same child development and play-based learning, and primary school teachers earn $40,400 more. Special education and middle school teaching use much the same skills with minimal retraining, while moving into centre management adds business and compliance work and usually further study.
What is the difference between an early childhood teacher and an early childhood educator?
An early childhood teacher holds a degree-level teaching qualification and is responsible for designing the educational program and assessing children's learning. An early childhood educator works alongside them, usually with a diploma or certificate III, and delivers care and learning within that program. The two share the room but differ in qualification, registration and responsibility.
Related roles
- Primary School Teacher
- Special Education Teacher
- Middle School Teacher
- Secondary School Teacher
- Childcare Centre Manager
- Early Childhood Educator
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