Study with us

The Level 4 certificate with Playcentre Education will equip you with the skills and knowledge to be able to support children’s wellbeing and learning, and to lead effective Playcentre sessions.  It is also recognised with other ECE settings such as homebased care and has content that is transferrable to your role as a parent and as a community leader.   

Benefits of the Playcentre Education programme

Benefit #1 - Discover how children learn

“Doing Playcentre Education has enriched not only my life, but it has opened my eyes to the world of how children develop and learn”.

Benefit #2- Connection with others

“I loved learning alongside other adults, I met people I would not normally have met and stepping outside of my comfort zone… and made new friends”

Benefit #3- Understanding schemas

“Schemas was such a highlight for me, I learnt my child is not being ‘naughty’ they have a schema which is an urge and they are learning it made me look at it in a different way and now I can come up with ideas to help support them”.

Benefit #4 - Increasing your confidence in interacting with other children

“[The Playcentre Education qualification] has given me so much confidence. I get to be a part of a team and I also have confidence in interacting with other children”. 

Benefit #5 - Learn new skills

“I have 2 degrees so I was thinking I don’t need another one… but what I learnt in the PIA I would never have learnt anywhere else”.

Benefit #6 - Providing an opportunity to learn more te reo Māori

“Learning about te reo Māori made me confident with pronouncing place and people’s name”.

Other providers also offer the NZ Certificate in Early Childhood Education and Care Level 4 however Playcentre Education has catered the learning to fit into the lives of multitasking parents and within a Playcentre environment.   

Playcentre is a licensed ECE-service, and as part of our licensing agreement with the Ministry of Education, there is an agreement that some Playcentre whānau will hold ECE qualifications.  This certificate and the modules within it meet that requirement.  By completing the awards within the certificate and the certificate as a whole, Playcentre ākonga help their Playcentres receive funding from the Ministry of Education.  More importantly, Playcentre whānau know that their tamariki are getting the best education possible from a group of skilled kaiako. 

Read some of the benefits below and our student stories to learn more about the experiences of our ākonga. 

Pathway to work opportunities

“I didn’t have the opportunity to develop a career prior to starting a family, the time at Playcentre has given me more experience and skills than I ever thought possible.”

The Playcentre Education programme leads to an NZQA qualification that can be used for licensing in your local Playcentre and to create career opportunities in the early childhood sector. Fostering skills and confidence to be lead educator in Playcentre the education program will also prepare you for a career as a homebased educator, early childhood education (ECE) support worker, and will be useful for seeking employment in community based services that work with young children and their whānau, families and communities.

Nationally recognised qualification

The Playcentre Education programme is free for Playcentre whānau and will ensure there is no gap in your CV. The New Zealand Certificate in Early Childhood Education and Care level 4, will provide graduates with key understandings of learning and development along with strategies to support tamariki and whānau in early childhood education settings.

Want to find out more?

Upcoming workshops and online modules

Contact Education Team

What others are saying

It’s a community of support, friendship and learning for children and adults. Great lasting memories are made and sets children up for the playbased collaborative learning schools that are becoming more integrated in all our communities. But mostly it’s fun and messy!

- Anna

Build a village …. great way to get to know people in a new area. Awesome play, some great education so you learn alongside your child.

- Sarah