Advanced Diploma in Early Childhood
Centre Leadership (ADECL)

About Course

With the launch of the refreshed Skills Framework for Early Childhood (SFw) in Oct 2021 and the Leadership Development Framework (LDF) in Mar 2022, the content of the Advanced Diploma in Early Childhood Leadership has been revised and is now renamed as Advanced Diploma in Early Childhood Centre Leadership.

Learn to develop core competencies to lead teams and centre operations to meet organisational goals and develop a good foundation in curriculum and Pedagogical leadership. You’ll get to:

Please refer to this FAQ document for more detailed information on the revised ADECL

Upon completion of the two PDCs, you will be conferred the ADECL by NIEC, and qualify for leadership appointments at early childhood development centres.

Find out more about the modules covered in this course here.

Skills-Based Modular Courses (SBMC)

The following 2 modules under PDC 1 of this course are offered as Skills-Based Modular Courses (SBMC):

• Designing Early Childhood Programmes (DECP)
• Leading in Curriculum & Pedagogy (LDCP)

Entry Requirements

Option A: Full Qualification

• Be nominated by an Early Childhood Development Centre;
• Have completed an ECDA-recognised diploma in early childhood care and education or equivalent;
• Be an ECDA-certified Level 2* preschool educator;
• Have at least 4 years of trained teaching experience post-L2 certification and be appointed to Senior, Deputy Lead or Lead roles; and
• Have completed the pre-requisite CPD courses as identified by ECDA and offered by NIEC.

Note: The SkillsFuture Study Award scheme has been discontinued from 1 Apr 2022 onwards. The Oct 2021 intake was the last intake for the study award. 

Option B: Modularised Structure

To be eligible for PDC 1, you will need to

• Have completed an ECDA-recognised diploma in early childhood care and education or equivalent;
• Be an ECDA-certified Level 2* preschool educator;
• Have at least 4 years of trained teaching experience post-L2 certification.

To progress to PDC 2, you will need to

• Fulfil all the entry requirements for Option A.

Applicants who are interested in applying for PDC 1 as a CPD or under Option B, may apply from Jan 2024 onwards. Note: Option B students are highly encouraged to complete the 3 pre-requisites CPDs as the CPDs will cover relevant skills and knowledge that will be applied throughout ADECL.

Priority will be given to applicants who undergo the full qualification ADECL (i.e. applicants who have been nominated by their centres and successfully approved by NIEC).

*ECDA-certified L2(2L) candidates and/or candidates with an ECDA- recognised qualification which is NOT conducted in EL are required to obtain a minimum B4 grade in GCE ‘O’ Level English Language (EL1) or an English Language Acceptable Alternative (ELAA).

Pre-requisites for Option A

To be eligible for the revised ADECL offered from Apr 2024, applicants need to complete or be registered for the following 3 pre-requisite CPD courses before applying.

1. [NEW] Developing a Professional Portfolio for Educators (DPPE) 

2. [NEW] Essentials of Leadership (ESLP) 

The following CPD courses can be recognised as a pre-requisite in lieu of the ESLP:

• • “Developing the Leader in Me” a PDP(T) compulsory module by NIEC, or
  • “Senior Teacher Series Leadership Essentials for Senior Teachers” by ECDA

3. Mentoring 201: Bringing Out the Best in EC Educators (Mentoring 201). 

The following CPD courses can be recognised as a pre-requisite in lieu of Mentoring 201:

• • "Mentoring for Professional Growth" or
  • "Mentoring for Success"

Applicants who completed ADECL Post Diploma Certificate (PDC) 1 or SBMC Collaborative Leadership (CL) and Instructional Leadership (IL) before April 2023:

For applicants who have completed Post Diploma Certificate (PDC) 1 of the Advanced Diploma in Early Childhood Leadership (ADECL) before April 2023, exemptions from Collaborative Leadership (CL) and Instructional Leadership (IL) modules are granted upon enrolment into PDC 2.

However, due to new revisions in the course structure, the Instructional Leadership (IL) module is now included in PDC 2 of the ADECL curriculum.  Instructional Leadership (IL) module covers crucial new topics, and the assignments are integral to the implementation assignment applicable in the final module, Leadership in Practice II. We strongly encourage applicants to enrol in the 60-hour Instructional Leadership (IL) module to benefit from formative feedback.

Note that this module will be conducted fully online at no additional cost.

Registration Fee

$87.20 (inclusive of GST). 

Note: The registration fee is non-refundable.

Fill out your details to find out your estimated course fee!

Note: The course fee shown is an estimate only. Course fees payable are subject to revision, funding eligibility and approval. Please contact us for details on course fees.