CHC50221 · Diploma
Diploma of School Age Education and Care
Step into a Coordinator, Lead Educator or Educational Leader role in outside school hours care with the nationally recognised Diploma of School Age Education and Care (CHC50221) — online, with weekly live classes and workplace assessor visits, and dedicated pathways for ECEC-qualified educators moving into school age care.
- Duration22-week delivery cycle*
- Placement280 hours
- DeliveryOnline
- Next intakeDefined entry points — ask for the next
- Where5 locations
Overview
Work that genuinely matters.
The CHC50221 Diploma of School Age Education and Care reflects the role of educators who coordinate and lead outside school hours care — before school care, after school care and vacation care — for children aged 5 to 12. You’ll learn to design programs under My Time, Our Place, lead a team of educators, maintain compliance with the National Quality Framework and work in partnership with children, families and schools. Delivered online by Sage Education Australia with weekly live classes, workplace assessor visits and a 280-hour vocational placement.
What you'll learn
Practical skills, and the judgement to use them well.
- Lead program design with My Time, Our PlacePlan, deliver and evaluate play-based, child-centred programs using Australia’s national framework for school age care.
- Coordinate an OSHC serviceOperational planning, staff coordination, family engagement and service management — the day-to-day work of running a service.
- Lead a team of educatorsTeam leadership, mentoring newer educators, workplace relationships and emotional intelligence — the people side of the Coordinator role.
- Maintain compliance with the NQFFacilitate compliance with the National Quality Framework, National Law and the obligations that shape every approved OSHC service.
- Develop and implement service policiesDraft, implement and monitor the policy suite a service needs — child protection, WHS, inclusion, sustainability and behaviour support.
- Partner with children, families and schoolsChild-focused practice, family communication and collaboration with the wider school community.
Course units
23 units of competency.
15 core units plus 8 electives.
Core units 15
- BSBLDR523Lead and manage effective workplace relationships
- CHCCCS007Develop and implement service programs
- CHCDIV002Promote Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander cultural safety
- CHCDIV003Manage and promote diversity
- CHCLEG003Manage legal and ethical compliance
- CHCPRP003Reflect on and improve own professional practice
- CHCPRT001Identify and respond to children and young people at risk
- CHCSAC006Support children to participate in school age care
- CHCSAC007Develop and implement play and leisure experiences in school age care
- CHCSAC008Work collaboratively and respectfully with school age children
- CHCSAC010Foster holistic learning, development and wellbeing for school age children
- HLTAID012Provide First Aid in an education and care setting
- HLTFSE007Oversee the day-to-day implementation of food safety in the workplace
- HLTWHS003Maintain work health and safety
- SISXDIS001Facilitate inclusion for people with a disability
Elective units 8
- BSBHRM413Support the learning and development of teams and individuals
- BSBOPS502Manage business operational plans
- BSBPEF502Develop and use emotional intelligence
- BSBSUS511Develop workplace policies and procedures for sustainability
- CHCFAM002Work with a child-focused approach
- CHCPOL002Develop and implement policy
- CHCPOL003Research and apply evidence to practice
- HLTFSE001Follow basic food safety practices
15 core units plus 8 electives. HLTAID012 is completed face-to-face with Sage ($120) or credit-transferred from an external provider.
Delivery & duration
Day or evening. Built around a life that’s already full.
Self-paced online
Study around work and life. Unit readings, video guides and templates are in your student folder; written assessments go through the student portal.
Two live classes per unit
Every unit has a live theory session and a live assessment-support session with your trainer and cohort. One-on-one support on request.
Defined entry points
You start at the beginning of a unit, never mid-week. Everything already covered in the cycle is available to you from day one, and your delivery calendar is shared at enrolment.
Vocational placement
280 hours of hands-on placement.
- 280 hours in an approved OSHC service — before school, after school or vacation care for children aged 5–12
- Placement arranged with our partners, or offset against your current OSHC role (approval required)
- At least 2 placement days a week, agreed with your workplace adviser in Week 4
- Before you start: a current Blue Card and National Police Certificate — and we strongly recommend completing first aid first
Where our students go on placement
- Camp Australia
- OSHClub
- YMCA
Plus many more. Placement host depends on availability near you.
How long does it take?
Delivered over a 22-week active delivery cycle — one unit a week, with two 2-hour live online classes per unit — with your 280-hour placement alongside or after. Your enrolment period is 12 months, so there’s room if life gets in the way. Already working in OSHC, or ECEC-qualified? You’ll likely finish faster — see Pathways below.
Where can I study?
Day and evening availability varies by centre — ask us for the next intake near you.
Pathways
Already working in OSHC, or ECEC-qualified?
Already working in OSHC
CHC50221 formalises the skills you use every day. You may be able to offset placement hours already completed in your current role, and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) can reduce both the time and the units you need.
Placement hour offset
To be considered, your job description must confirm duties consistent with the Diploma, the service must be an approved placement facility, and your workplace supervisor must hold a Diploma or above (or a senior management role with demonstrated OSHC knowledge). Our Compliance Manager approves all offsets before they’re applied.
RPL — how it works
RPL is an evidence-based pathway: a portfolio of workplace evidence, a Third Party Report from a Diploma-qualified supervisor, and a professional conversation with our assessor. RPL doesn’t lower the standard — it’s an alternative way of showing you meet it. Eligibility is the threshold to begin; the competency decision rests on the evidence.
Diploma or Cert III in ECEC? A dedicated transition pathway
If you hold a Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care (CHC50121 or CHC50125) or a Certificate III in ECEC, CHC50221 recognises what you already know — credit transfer for common units, RPL for OSHC experience and focused gap training on the school-age-care units.
Credit transfer for common units
Units in both your ECEC qualification and CHC50221 are credit-transferred at no cost, subject to equivalence. Common candidates: CHCDIV002, CHCLEG003, CHCPRP003, CHCPRT001, HLTFSE007 and HLTWHS003. Our Compliance Manager checks each against training.gov.au.
Focused gap training
The four core CHCSAC units — CHCSAC006, 007, 008 and 010 — are where the school age care specialisation lives. ECEC experience doesn’t give direct equivalence for OSHC practice, so these are the usual focus of gap training.
Reduced placement where evidence permits
If credit transfer and RPL reduce the units needing placement evidence, your placement may be reduced accordingly — subject to assessment conditions for the remaining units. Your transition study plan is confirmed in writing at enrolment.
Course fees
Most students are surprised by what they don’t pay.
Eligible Queensland residents are subsidised and pay only the student co-contribution; students in other states study fee-for-service or with a payment plan. Everyone else can still study — with a payment plan if that helps.
Government subsidy isn’t available for this course. All students pay $150 per unit ($3,450 for 23 units); an instalment plan is available on request and agreed in writing before you start. Credit transfer for qualifying units completed elsewhere is free and reduces your fee.
Not included in your course fee
- First aid (HLTAID012)Hands-on unit that can’t be done online. Complete it with Sage for $120 at Logan Central (or a scheduled session), or with any approved provider at your own cost and we credit-transfer it free.
- National Police CertificateRequired before placement. Approximately $50–$60, paid direct to the check provider.
- Blue Card (Working with Children Check)Mandatory for anyone working with children in Queensland. Free for students on placement.
- Printed certificate$50 including postage. Your digital certificate is emailed free as standard.
Refunds. Full refund if you withdraw within the 14-day cooling-off period. The full refund policy for fee-for-service students is in the Student Handbook.
Fee shown is the full course fee for 23 units. Credit transfer reduces your fee proportionally.
Full Career Boost eligibility rules — read the details. Prefer to earn while you study? See Traineeships & Apprenticeships.
Funding eligibility
Don’t assume you’re eligible. Don’t assume you’re not.
Eligibility depends on your circumstances. Holding a qualification at the same or higher level can affect it — but exceptions apply. One phone call and we’ll tell you exactly what you qualify for.
What we’ll ask about
- Queensland residency and age
- Citizenship, permanent residency, NZ citizenship or eligible visa
- Qualifications you already hold
- Whether you’re currently employed in the industry
- Concession card status
Career outcomes
The qualification that unlocks OSHC leadership roles.
Diploma-qualified educators are required to meet National Quality Framework staffing ratios in OSHC services, and demand for coordinator and educational leader roles keeps growing. We work with Camp Australia, OSHClub, YMCA and other approved services to help graduates step up.
- ShortageChild Carers on the national Occupation Shortage List
- RequiredDiploma-qualified educators for NQF ratios
- Fastestgrowing occupation groups to 2028
- 280 hrsof placement before you graduate
Sources: Jobs and Skills Australia Occupation Reports and Occupation Shortage List. Labour market figures are indicative — not a guarantee of employment or earnings.
Roles this qualification leads to
- OSHC Coordinator
- Lead Educator (School Age Care)
- Educational Leader
- Assistant Coordinator
- Vacation Care Coordinator
- OSHC Service Manager (smaller services)
- Diploma-qualified Educator
Job titles and requirements vary between employers.
Not a clinical qualification. CHC50221 qualifies you to work in outside school hours care — before school, after school and vacation care. It does not qualify you as a primary school teacher; that’s a separate university degree pathway.
What a day looks like
Before school you open the service, brief the team and set the room up for the morning program. After the school day you’re leading the afternoon — play-based experiences, supervision ratios, a conversation with a parent at pick-up, a check-in with a school teacher about a child. In between: rostering, program evaluation against My Time, Our Place, a policy review, and coaching a newer educator. Vacation care brings excursions and bigger programs. You’re the person the service runs around.
Student story
Placeholder — “I was nervous coming back to study. The trainers made it easy and I had shifts before I even finished.”
Before you enrol
What you need to know.
Entry Requirements
There are no formal training package prerequisites for CHC50221. Sage requires that you:
- Are 18 or older
- Complete our Language, Literacy and Numeracy (LLN) assessment before commencing
- Hold — or are actively obtaining — a current Blue Card before placement
- Provide a current National Police Certificate before placement
- Have reliable internet, a device with webcam and microphone, and moderate digital literacy — this is an online course with weekly live classes
Frequently asked
Straight answers.
What’s the difference between CHC50221 and the Diploma of ECEC?
The Diploma of ECEC (CHC50125) qualifies you to work with children from birth to five in long day care, kindergarten and family day care. CHC50221 qualifies you to work with school age children (5–12) in outside school hours care. They share some units, and Sage offers a dedicated transition pathway for ECEC-qualified educators moving into OSHC.
Does CHC50221 qualify me as a primary school teacher?
No. This is a school age care qualification, not a teaching qualification. Primary teaching is a separate university degree pathway. CHC50221 graduates work with school age children in OSHC — not in the classroom.
I already work in OSHC. Do I really need 280 hours of placement?
You may be able to offset placement hours through your current role, subject to approval by our Compliance Manager. Your job description needs to confirm duties consistent with the Diploma, and your supervisor needs to hold a Diploma or above. Talk to us at your info session.
How does placement work?
Placement is in an approved before school, after school, vacation care or OSHC service serving children aged 5–12, at least 2 days a week. Your trainer makes a minimum of 2 observation visits (in person, or by consent-compliant video where distance requires), and a Diploma-qualified supervisor signs a Third Party Report at the end. We confirm supervisor eligibility with you before you start.
How do I complete first aid (HLTAID012)?
Two options: face-to-face with Sage for $120 at Logan Central or a scheduled session, or with any approved external first aid provider at your own cost — send us your Statement of Attainment and we credit-transfer HLTAID012 at no charge.
How much RPL can I claim?
It depends on your evidence — OSHC, ECEC or related work experience, workplace evidence and a Third Party Report from a Diploma-qualified supervisor. Meeting our RPL eligibility criteria is the starting threshold; the final competency decision is made by our assessor on the evidence you provide.
Will I receive a printed certificate?
Your certificate is issued digitally as standard, at no cost — it’s emailed to you when you complete. A printed copy is available on request for $50 including postage.
Is government funding available for this course?
No — government subsidy isn’t available for CHC50221. All students pay the fee-for-service rate, and an instalment plan is available on request.
Can I get a government subsidy?
Yes, for many of our courses. Sage is a Queensland Government Skills Assure Supplier, delivering subsidised training under Career Start (Certificate III) and Career Boost (Certificate IV, Diploma, Advanced Diploma and skill sets). Eligible students pay a small co-contribution. Some courses, including First Aid, aren’t subsidised. Talk to our team to find out what you qualify for.
Can I study online?
Yes, we do offer online delivery of some of our courses. However, you may need to attend a workshop to acquire practical skills mandatory for vocational placement.
We assess your situation at the time of enrolment and suggest an appropriate study mode.
Do you guarantee employment?
We do not guarantee employment. However, historically, most of your graduates secure employment as soon as they complete their course.
There is overwhelming employment demand currently, and you are very likely to secure a position if you follow our guidelines.
Who will organise my vocational placement?
We will organise your vocational placement when you’re ready to do so. However, please note that you must meet all requirements and acquire practical skills before your vocational placement is confirmed.
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Enquire
Ten minutes with an adviser. A real one.
We’ll check your funding eligibility, talk through campuses and timetables, and give you the next intake date. No pressure, no jargon.
- 1You send the formTakes 30 seconds. Only the details we need to call you back.
- 2An adviser calls youWithin one business day — a real person from one of our centres.
- 3You get a clear answerYour exact fee, next intake, and the campus that suits you.
- RTO 5989
- 4.9★ Google
- Est. 1998
