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Institute of Technical Education
Higher Nitec

Higher Nitec in Early Childhood Education

Campus

ITE College Central

Course type

Full-time

Industry

Early Childhood Care & Education

Business

Train as an early childhood educator. Learn child development, health, nutrition and safety, and plan activities for kindergartens and childcare centres. Gain skills to guide children. Recognised by ECDA for preschool teacher practice in Singapore.

Course duration: 24 months

What you'll learn

  • Plan programmes

  • Assist in conducting lessons

  • Assist children in daily activities

  • Manage safety, health and nutrition of children

  • Handle administrative work

  • Pursue personal growth and professional development

  • Handle workplace communication

  • Process business transactions and reports using information technology tools

The Higher Nitec in Early Childhood Education is awarded by the National Institute of Early Childhood Development in collaboration with Institute of Technical Education (ITE). The Higher Nitec certificate fulfils the professional qualifications of a Level 1 (L1)* category teacher. You will be qualified to teach pre-nursery and nursery children from 18 months to 4 years old or assist in K1 and K2 Levels.

There will also be opportunities for career upgrade to supervisory positions and beyond through higher-level courses.

*To be granted L1 certification to teach up to Nursery levels by ECDA, new teachers must have a minimum C6 grade for GCE O-Level English Language (EL1) or obtain a minimum band of 5.5 in IELTS (Academic) or other English Language Acceptable Alternatives (ELAA) (opens in new tab).


Certification Requirements, Course Structure and Module Objectives [PDF, 146 KB] (opens in new tab)

General Electives and Life Skills Modules [PDF, 127 KB] (opens in new tab)

Entry requirements

GCE 'O' level grades in English Language and 2 other subjects:

  • Grade 1-6 in English Language

  • Grade 1-7 in two other subjects
    To be eligible for selection, you must have sat for Mathematics (Elementary/Additional)

OR

Nitec GPA:

Note:

  • Applicants for this course will have to pass a prescribed medical examination.

  • Students will be required to purchase a laptop for the course. This is in addition to the course fees. Financial assistance is available to eligible students under ITE Opportunity Fund subject to terms and conditions. For more details on the minimum laptop specifications, please click here. (opens in new tab)

Progression opportunities

Higher Nitec in Early Childhood Education graduates may apply for progression to the following Work-Study Diploma courses at ITE:

Higher Nitec in Early Childhood Education graduates with a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0 and above may apply for progression to a Technical Diploma course at ITE. For more details on progression, please click here (opens in new tab).

From the AY2027 polytechnic intake, Higher Nitec in Early Childhood Education graduates with net GPA of 2.5 and above may also apply for progression to the first year of a related diploma course at the Polytechnics. For more details on diploma courses for progression, please refer to the Joint Polytechnic Admissions website (opens in new tab).

Career opportunities

Higher Nitec in Early Childhood Education graduates are employed by childcare centres and kindergartens. Some of the job titles held by our graduates include Beginning Early Years Educator, Educarer, Para-Educator and Assistant Preschool Teacher.

For other interesting videos on Early Childhood Education, please refer to the links below :

Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) Resource Links:

ECDA's official YouTube Channel (opens in new tab)

  • The channel hosts videos that are produced by ECDA and collectively provides resources and information about ECDA’s schemes and programmes.

Grow@Beanstalk website (opens in new tab)

  • A resource portal for parents and early childhood professionals. The website is regularly updated with happenings in the early childhood sector. There are tips and inspiring stories contributed by professionals across the social, educational and medical sectors.

“A Good Start for Every Child” (opens in new tab)

  • Videos on profession as Early Childhood Educator.

Careers in the Early Childhood sector (opens in new tab)

Related courses

Higher Nitec in Business Administration

Higher Nitec in Event Management