Education FAQ’s

To enrol in the Playcentre Education programme you must:

• Be at least 17 years old
• Complete a safety check as per the Children’s Act 2014. It will be carried out confidentially.
• The certificate is an English-language qualification – a sufficient level of English is required to study at Level 4
• Provide evidence that you are a ‘domestic student’
• Be attending or affiliated with a Playcentre

• Not already hold a level 5 or higher Early Childhood Education qualification

A ‘domestic student’ is a citizen of New Zealand (including students from the Cook Islands, Tokelau, or Niue) or a person who holds a New Zealand resident class visa or a citizen of Australia or holder of a resident visa for Australia who is residing in NZ.

The evidence required for a citizen is one of the following: A Birth certificate with place of birth stated as New Zealand, Cook Islands, Tokelau, Niue or Australia or a NZ or Australian Passport.

The evidence for a resident class visa is the NZ residency stamp in the Overseas Passport or a letter from Immigration New Zealand stating the person has a resident class visa.

Special provisions apply to certain overseas military personnel, diplomatic staff and their families or persons associated with Operation Deep Freeze and for refugees.

Playcentre Education cannot enrol non-domestic (International) students. This also applies to non-residents in NZ on a work or visitor visa. Other providers are accredited to accept international students.  If you do not meet eligibility requirements, please contact the Education team to discuss options.

When you sign up for PE1, you will receive a link to the online enrolment pack and further instructions.  You can save your progress and return to the online enrolment form at any time. For any questions relating to the enrolment process, email: [email protected]

If you have previously been enrolled in Playcentre Education and are returning to study, contact the Education team to find out your next steps.

You only need to submit a request for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) if you already hold a qualification relevant to the Level 4 Certificate in Early Childhood Education and Care.

Common examples include:

• Primary teachers – find out more here: Primary Teachers in Playcentre
• Secondary teachers can also often have one or two modules credited

• A qualification in te reo me ōna tikanga Māori

Those with a Playcentre Course 4, 5 or 6 from the Playcentre Diploma in Early Childhood and Adult Education programme or a level 5, 6 or 7 Early Childhood qualification from another Tertiary Provider are not eligible to enter the level 4 programme. If you have a level 4 qualification in Early Childhood or a related field (e.g. a Nanny certificate) you should seek advice from the Education Lead as to whether you can enter this programme.

A safety check is required by the Children’s Act 2014 for learners in an early childhood educational or vocational training programme involving practical experience in a licensed early childhood service (Playcentre). It will be carried out confidentially.

All learners will be police vetted under the mandatory requirements of the Children’s Act 2014 as a learner on practicum and as a core worker in an early learning centre. Te Whānau Tupu Ngātahi o Aotearoa – Playcentre Aotearoa is the agency who makes the application to the NZ Police vetting Service. A designated person will process the police vet application and the safety check. Your information will be treated confidentially, as required by the Privacy Act 2020.

This check requires confirmation of your identity. Two forms of ID must be sighted, one primary and one secondary, one of which must be photographic. Verified copies of these identity documents must accompany the completed safety check forms.

A list of valid primary ID, secondary ID and name change documents can be found on page 2 of How to verify identity documents for police vets. Examples include:

• Primary ID documents: NZ Passport or full NZ Birth Certificate issued after 1998 or Citizenship Certificate.
• Secondary ID documents: NZ Drivers licence or 18+ card or Community Services Card.
• If the documents are in different names or your National Student Number (NSN) is in a previous name, you will need a change of name document, e.g. marriage or civil union certificate

To complete the safety check, a questionnaire will be sent to you and your referee by CV Check.

There is a schedule of very serious offences which would exclude someone from working with children. You will find these listed as Schedule 2 in The Children’s Act 2014 (formerly the Vulnerable Children’s Act 2014) which can be read at http://www.legislation.govt.nz. Anything that is not related to children’s wellbeing will not be flagged during these checks.

Verification of ID documents for Safety Checking for staff and students can be carried out by a Playcentre employee preferably, or by a Person Responsible at any centre, following this procedure: 7.2.3c – How to verify identity documents for police vets

Verification of ID documents is a requirement of the Safety Checking process for both Playcentre employees and students participating in the Playcentre Education Programme, as provided under the Children’s Act 2014 and the Ministry of Education regulations.

For those attending face-to-face workshops, you can bring your ID documents to your workshop along with a photocopy and your workshop tutor can verify the copies (sight the original and sign the photocopy) to accompany your forms for processing.

Alternatively, you can contact a Student Support Coordinator to set up a time to verify your ID via a 2-minute video call.

Contact the Student Support Coordinator for your module.  If there are barriers that we can help you overcome before you withdraw, please let us know. 

The NZ Certificate in Early Childhood Education and Care Level 4 with Playcentre Education is free (Zero Fees). From January 2023 government policy is that learners will not consume fees free eligibility credits for study where a learner is enrolled in a Zero Fees programme for a level 3 or above course which would be eligible for fees free provision if fees were charged.   Any questions about Zero Fees or study funding – contact Glenda Caradus.

While we do not charge tuition fees, weekend courses or training events sometimes attract extra accommodation, travel, or food costs you may be asked to meet.  If there are such costs you will be advised of costs and the policy about refunds if you cancel before the event.

Reading resources are provided as electronic copies or available at your local Playcentre library and a limited number of Chromebooks are available on loan to online learners.

Upcoming modules are listed on the Playcentre website here.

The first step is to choose the module (or group of modules) you are ready to book into. You can then filter by your region to see face-to-face options available, or interactive webinar or online self-directed for the online options.

Registrations are completed through the BookWhen booking system. Select an event from the left-hand menu to see information about that event. If you wish to attend, go to “tickets” at the bottom right-hand side of the page and click the Select button. Then click on the “view selection” button which will open the page to view selections and the make the green “Book now” button available. Follow the instructions – please be careful to accurately type your email address. If you are already enrolled in the Playcentre Education programme it is helpful if each time you book workshops you use the same name and email address.

Ask your centre Kaimahi to assist you. Note – you do not need a log-in to access the Playcentre Education workshop booking function on the Playcentre website.

We need to know the number of learner’s coming to an event so that we can provide the tutor with adequate ākonga resources in advance. We may also need to decide whether there are enough registrations for it to be viable or re-scheduled.

It is also important to cancel your booking if you no longer intend to come. Although workshops are free to learners there is a cost for Playcentre to run them and we need to use limited resources wisely.

If you realise you can no longer attend a workshop, please cancel your booking as soon as possible so that someone else may attend.

The easiest way to cancel is via the confirmation email that you received from BookWhen when you booked the workshop. Click on “View Booking”, then “Ticket Options,” then “Cancel”.

Alternatively, you can email the tutor directly or find the appropriate member of the education team to contact here.

Yes. Do not cancel your booking in BookWhen. It is courteous to advise the facilitator you will be absent.  You will need to attend the missed session at some point in the future.  Refer to “How do I book a Missed Session?”. You can also catch-up a missed session by registering to do it online.

If a workshop is full a “Join Waiting List” option will appear on Bookwhen. Select this, and you will be added to the Waitlist, and advised what place you are in the queue. You will receive an email if a space becomes available and must book the ticket promptly through Bookwhen to secure it. Refer to “How does the Waitlist work?”

If a place becomes available, the first person on the Waitlist will be emailed inviting them to book a ticket. After 30 minutes if the ticket has not been booked, the next person on the waitlist will be emailed and so on. Once the waitlist has been exhausted and if the ticket has still not been booked, it becomes open for anyone to book.

If you receive an email and wish to attend, you must ‘book’ the ticket through Bookwhen. You cannot book by replying to the email automatically generated by Bookwhen to advise that a waitlist place is now available. If a place is no longer available when you go to book a ticket, then someone else on the waitlist has beaten you to it – please do not just ‘turn up’ at the workshop.

Someone else on the Waitlist has booked the ticket before you, so there is no longer a space available. Refer to “How does the Waitlist work?”

No – your place on the waitlist will remain, and you will receive an email if another place becomes available.

Please contact Barbara Cooper (for Upper North and Central North Island workshops), Mary Alford (for Lower North Island and webinar workshops), or Moira Siobhan (for Sout Island workshops).

The eligibility is made clear on the advertisement for each module. You can also view the pathway through Playcentre Education on our A3 poster.

The programme has a set of requirements or pre-requisites that define the order in which modules can be undertaken. These apply both to face to face and online study.

• You must start with the PE1 module before starting another Playcentre Educator module;
• You must complete the PEA (all 4 Playcentre Educator modules) and your Safety Check process must have been completed before starting the Playcentre Leader modules;
• The first Playcentre Leader module is PL1 and you must have submitted an assessment in PL1 before you attempt any other Playcentre Leader modules.

• You must have completed PL2 before continuing to PL3.

An exception to this is for PE4 Te Kākano and PL5 Rangatiratanga.  These modules are delivered as face-to-face or webinar workshops and are not available through online self-directed learning.  Take advantage of local opportunities when they are available.  You may register for PE4 if you have signed up for PE1 and in PL5 if you have completed PEA. 

Ākonga can work on a maximum of two modules at any one time. Modules must be completed in the order required by the pre-requisites outlined above. If you are working on two modules, you must submit your assessments for one of these before registering for a further module.

All new learners start with PE1 Ūkaipōtanga – Let’s Play. Click on ‘get started here’ to find a PE1 option that works for you. (See “How do I register for a workshop or module?”. You will be sent a link to the online Education enrolment form and instructions when you register for PE1.

Previous students transferring from the former Playcentre Diploma programme also need to return an Education enrolment pack to enter the new qualification. Those with Course 2 start at PE2 and Course 3 start at PE4. Contact a Student Support Coordinator for more information.

Face-to-face modules occur at a set time and place and often require a minimum number of learners to be run. Online modules are more flexible and can accommodate unlimited numbers. The online part of the learning is mostly self-guided. What this means for you as a learner is that you have more choice, but greater responsibility. Self-directed means you set the pace and choose how and when to complete readings, videos and activities. Self-directed also means you are responsible for checking your answers against our model answers or feedback.

In face-to-face delivery the content is provided through a series of workshops while online the content may be provided as a course with sections that are comparable to the face-to-face workshops. For example, in module PE1 workshop 1 is comparable to section 1 online.

We also offer online interactive webinars, which are run like face-to-face workshops except you can participate from home.

Contact Playcentre Education Workshop Requests on [email protected] with:

• the name of your Playcentre and Region
• the workshop you would like to host

• the days and times that suit your centre whānau

Find out more here.

To participate in face-to-face modules, you do not need any technology other than the ability to scan/take clear photos of any handwritten assessment tasks and email these in to [email protected]. Some ākonga prefer to complete their assessment tasks electronically.

To participate in online modules, you will need a tablet or computer.  Playcentre Education has a limited number of Chromebooks that can be loaned to students who need them for online modules.  It is important that you return the Chromebook if you are not actively working on the education programme so it can be passed on to the next ākonga.  Contact Marianne Scott-Boddendijk if you would like to be considered for a Chromebook.

Contact any of our Student Support Coordinators and they can help you get started again. 

Practical experience will take place in a Playcentre or pre-arranged early learning service.  Before enrolling the Playcentre Education programme, complete an induction to your local Playcentre.

To complete the Level 4 certificate, you will need to participate in 40 full Playcentre sessions from enrolment in the programme.  At least 20 of these sessions need to be completed while you are enrolled in the Playcentre Leader (PL) modules.

Participation in a full Playcentre session includes planning, setting up, participating fully within the session, contributing to session evaluation and also includes any between session tasks that normally happen like writing learning stories and communicating between days/weeks.

The easiest way to record your attendance at session is by signing in AND out of Discover every time you attend Playcentre. You can keep track of your practicum attendance using the Ākonga Work Plan.

Once your commenter has finished marking your task(s), they will let you know if you have successfully completed the task or whether you need to submit more mahi.  Your commenter will also notify the Student Support Coordinator and they will confirm that you have completed all other requirements for the module (workshops/online content, readings, practicum sessions etc.) 

A Student Support Coordinator will email you, your Regional Funding Administrator and Playcentre with an electronic copy of your award to confirm your achievement.  As soon as you receive the verification of award email, you can use this toward supporting licensing.  

Once we have confirmed all requirements have been met, Haley Brown-Wahanui will email you, your Regional Funding Administrator and Playcentre with an electronic copy of your certificate to confirm your completion. As soon as you receive the verification of completion email, you can use your certificate towards supporting licensing.

Level 4 Certificates are posted to your home address.  If you have moved since enrolling in the programme, be sure to update your address with Playcentre Education.  Each month certificate completions are reported to NZQA and these will show on your NZQA record approx. 1-2 months after completion.

Finishing the awards and certificate are a significant achievement – well done for growing your own learning and enriching Playcentre for all tamariki and whānau.  Ka rawe!

Contact the Student Support Coordinator for your module.  If there are barriers that we can help you overcome before you withdraw, please let us know. 

Check out the Playcentre Education team responsibilities here.  This will help you figure out who to direct your query to.  We are a small team so if you don’t get it right, don’t worry – they will pass your message on to the correct person. 

One to two days prior to your course start date, you will receive an invite email from iQualify which will provide a link to access the online platform iQualify.  Please check your junk folder if your invite email does not come through, as it sometimes ends up there due to the link. It is important that you accept the invite email.

You will be added to two units – the learning content, and the assessment unit. Please make sure you complete all of the learning content before submitting your assessment task in the assessment unit.

You will also be added to an optional unit called “Learning with iQualify”.  This unit will help you find your way around the platform if you have not used iQualify before.

A tablet, smart phone, laptop or PC will work with the iQualify platform. You do not need specific software. If you find having only a smart phone limits your online experience, contact Marianne Scott-Boddendijk as Playcentre Education does have a limited number of Chromebooks available for online learners to borrow at no cost.  It is important that you return the Chromebook if you are not actively working on the education programme so it can be passed on to the next ākonga.

The skills required are basic – If you can look up a website, use a google search, send an email, understand what download or upload a file means or use a smart phone, you will have the skills to use the iQualify online platform.  If you have used internet banking, Trade Me, or an online account such as my MSD or similar you will be skilled enough. There are support pages and ‘help’ built into the online platform.

You will not get a printed resource booklet, but you can download content from the platform to your device for reading later offline. You can also print articles or readings for your own study.

The access period defines the time during which you can complete the online content with tutor support – this is between four and six weeks depending on the module.  There is no deadline for submitting assessments although it is good to attempt the assessment sooner rather than later while the learning material is fresh.

After the end date you can still access the module in your “past courses” to read and work through the learning material and to submit the module assessment in the online assessment unit, but you will no longer have regular tutor support.

You can find electronic versions of the assessment documents attached to each module on BookWhen. In addition:

• For face-to-face modules, you tutor will hand you a hard copy of the assessment task.
• For webinars, you will be emailed a copy of the assessment task.
• For online self-directed study, you will be given access to a separate iQualify unit with downloadable copies of the assessment task available.

If you are doing an online module, upload it via the assessment unit in the iQualify platform.  If it has been a while since you completed the content, also email the tutor to let them know it’s there as they may not see it. 

All assessments from face-to-face modules and webinars can be emailed to [email protected].  Please put your surname, first name, module and centre in the subject line.  

All work submitted must be your own and in your own words.  Collaboration is an effective way of learning new ideas and exploring concepts – you are welcome to discuss ideas, analysis possibilities and reflect on your practice.  Your tutor, commenter, experienced members and your Centre Advisor can all help you clarify tasks and kōrero with you about children’s learning and Playcentre practice. Detailed information about plagiarism in included in the Ākonga Handbook. 

Your tutor is your first point of call if you have queries about the content of the programme or assessment task. In addition, when you start PL1 Wairuatanga – Reflective Practice, your PL1 tutor will take on a kaiāwhina (mentor) role for the rest of the Playcentre Leader series. If you are working online, you can post questions to your learning group in the iQualify talk channels and contribute to discussions to help others if you can.

Your centre Education Officer and experienced members at your centre can also help motivate you, look after your tamariki on session so that you can work on education mahi, and organise write up sessions with other centre members.  Some workshop groups form their own support groups via Facebook, email or other messaging tools. Connecting with others is a great step in really consolidating the concepts in a course as you discuss and clarify your ideas either with others online or in your centre.

We offer drop-in online support sessions via Teams – click this link to join Monday evenings 7:30-8:30pm or Thursday afternoons 1:30-2:30pm during term time.

Our learning support advocate Moira Siobhan is also able to provide a range of practical supports for ākonga with additional learning needs.

The Open Polytechnic includes a great list of assistive technology tools and downloads: Online learning tools | Assistive technology tools | Open Polytechnic. Playcentre uses the online learning platform iQualify that is developed and hosted by the Open Polytechnic so the tools listed on their website should be compatible with iQualify.

We also have a limited number of Chromebooks available for ākonga to borrow for the ONLINE modules. If you would like to be considered for one of these, please contact Marianne Scott-Boddendijk.

You can find a list of the required reading and tips on accessing the resources here: Playcentre-Education-Required-Readings-v2.pdf

No, unfortunately due to Copyright permissions we are only able to share ākonga resources with enrolled learners.