Education FAQs

Watch this explanatory video to find out more:

Watch this explanatory video to find out more:

All Playcentre whānau, including non-residents, can complete the updated PIA. There are no other eligibility criteria. People are welcome to look at the PIA booklet in centre before they get started.

Yes, absolutely!

Yes, absolutely! The older version of PIA is still valid for supervision and licensing. You also already hold 10 credits in the Level 4 certificate, which means you are further on your journey through the programme than new learners entering with a smaller amount of credit for the updated PIA.   

No, if you already hold a qualification recognised for licensing you do not need to do the updated PIA. ECE qualified teachers may find it helpful to review the updated PIA content to help grow their understanding of the Playcentre philosophy.

No. The updated PIA has the same number of workshops as PE1 (the previous first step in the bridging award), slightly less reading, and no assessment task. Additionally, in recognition of their prior experience, primary teachers are only required to attend 5 sessions to complete the updated PIA if they would like to do two tasks on each session.

The tasks have been designed to do over 10 separate sessions to enable you to work through at a good pace with plenty of time to reflect, while still enjoying being at Playcentre with your whānau! It is possible to do two on one session, however, you still need to have attended at least 10 Playcentre sessions to be awarded the updated PIA (with the exception of primary teachers, as explained above).

Yes, as long as you complete the required tasks, Talanoa with a Tuakana, readings, videos, and workshops/webinars. Sessions can be backdated from the start of term 4 2025.

The workshops/webinars required for the updated PIA will be run face-to-face and via interactive webinar. We are working on an updated booking system. For now, check out options available near you on the links below. Your Centre Advisor will also be able to advise you of upcoming options.

• Find Kia Tākaro – Play and Learning & Whakamana – Empowering Children workshops here
• Find learning through play options here

Any experienced Playcentre person can be a Tuakana, and support learners working on the updated PIA with the reflective questions relevant to each session. It does not need to be the same person for each session. People who would make a great Tuakana include:

• A person who has been attending Playcentre for a couple of years
• A person who is currently making their way through the Level 4 certificate
• An adult education champion or other centre leader
• A Person Responsible on session
• Session Facilitators
• Centre Advisors

Playcentre Education will be putting together a booklet to help support Tuakana, though we trust that you already have what you need to be able to support our new learners in this!

Continue on the Playcentre Education journey you have started if you:

• Have fully completed PE1 Ūkaipōtanga – Let’s Play
• Have nearly finished PE1 Ūkaipōtanga – Let’s Play, and are planning on continuing to work through the Level 4 certificate

Consider switching to the updated PIA if you:

• Have not yet completed PE1 Ūkaipōtanga – Let’s Play, and achieving PIA is your only objective

If you would like advice on the best pathway to follow or decide you no longer want to continue with the Level 4 certificate and switch instead to do the updated PIA, please contact one of our Student Support Coordinators.

Yes. You must have completed all of the workshops/online learning content of a module to be able to have your prior learning recognised in the updated PIA as outlined below.

If you have already completed PE1 Ūkaipōtanga, you will get more value from completing one other PE-module and achieving PIA following the old pathway. However, you can choose to switch to the updated PIA if you prefer.

Learning through Play workshops

Past attendance at Learning through Play workshops will be credited to the Learning through Play workshops required for the updated PIA.

PE1 Ūkaipōtanga – Let’s Play

Learners who have completed the three core workshops required for PE1 will have the following elements of the updated PIA credited:

• Workshop: Kia Tākaro – Play and Learning
• Video: Kaiako in Playcentre
• Video: An introduction to Te Whāriki

You will still need to complete the requirements of the 10 sessions in the PIA booklet. However, if you have already set up a portfolio, created a learner map, or written a learning story using the notice, recognise, respond format for your child, you are welcome to use these when reflecting on session with a Tuakana.

PE2 Kotahitanga – Learning Together in Playcentre

Learners who have completed the three core workshops required for PE2 will have the following elements of the updated PIA credited:

• Video: Whāna Tupu Ngātahi – Families Growing Together

PE3 Whanaungatanga – Positive Relationships

Learners who have completed the four core workshops required for PE3 will have the following elements of the updated PIA credited:

• Workshop: Whakamana – Empowering Children
• Video: Parenting – It’s about mana (Tūpuna Parenting)

To enrol in the Playcentre Education programme you must:

• Be at least 17 years old
• Be actively participating as a kaiako in Playcentre or another early learning context approved by Playcentre Education (e.g. certificated playgroup, home-based education and care, kōhanga reo)
• Have successfully completed the Playcentre Introductory Award (PIA) [unless you are a home-based educator]
• Complete a safety check as per the Children’s Act 2014. It will be carried out confidentially.
• Provide evidence that you are a ‘domestic student’ [NZ or Australian citizen, or be the holder of a resident visa]
• Not already hold a level 4 or higher Early Childhood Education qualification
• The certificate is an English-language qualification – a sufficient level of English is required to study at Level 4

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 complete the updated PIA and indicate you would like to continue into the Level 4 certificate, 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
• Qualifications related to child development

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 any of our Student Support Coordinators.  If there are barriers that we can help you overcome before you withdraw, please let us know.

Upcoming modules are listed on the Playcentre website here.

Choose the type of module or workshop 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.

Check out Meet our education team to find out who organises the workshops in your area and contact them to arrange a booking. 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. 

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 updated PIA and be enrolled in the Level 4 certificate before you can proceed with the Playcentre Educator modules;
• You must complete all 4 Playcentre Educator modules and have been awarded the Playcentre Educator Award (PEA) 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 formally enrolled in the Level 4 certificate and in PL5 if you have completed PEA. 

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 the updated Playcentre Introductory Award (PIA). Find out more about this at your Playcentre. Once you have completed the updated PIA, you will receive instructions on your next steps if you are interested in enrolling into the Level 4 certificate.

Ākonga who had previously made a start on the Level 4 certificate and completed at least one module are able to pick up where they left off and continue on their previous pathway. However, if you have note yet achieved PIA and are not intending to do the full certificate, you do have the option to transfer to the updated PIA with possible credit for your prior learning. Find out more in The Updated Playcentre Introductory Award (PIA) FAQ.

Previous students transferring to the Level 4 certificate from the former Playcentre Diploma programme need to return an Education enrolment pack to enter the new

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.

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

For Playcentre Introductory Award (PIA) workshops, including Learning through Play workshops, contact your Centre Advisor in the first instance.

For PE4 Te Kākano – Te reo me ōna tikanga Māori and PL5 Rangatiratanga – Communicating Effectively, 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.

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. You will complete 10 of these sessions while you work on the updated Playcentre Introductory Award (PIA).

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 also 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 (RFA) 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.

For the updated PIA, you will be awarded this on receipt of your PIA confirmation page as soon as a Student Support Coordinator has confirmed you have completed all requirements. Your Playcentre and RFA will also be notified.  

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.