The recent announcement by Minister for Education Jason Clare that childcare centres will receive funding to close early for mandatory child safety training. But let’s be clear—child protection training is not new. Educators already undertake annual courses and ongoing professional development throughout the year. You cannot work in this industry without it. Training is essential, but it is not where the real problems begin.
Child protection courses are already mandatory. The real crisis?
Too many children per educator
Understaffed centres
Lack of inclusion support for children with disabilities
Until ratios drop and staffing rises, training alone won’t fix child safety.
In the quiet hum of a weekday morning, something felt off. Preschool doors opened, but classrooms remained silent. No greetings. No redirection. No educators. And suddenly, the world felt the consequences.
This wasn’t a strike. It was a reckoning.
Early childhood educators, those often dismissed as “just babysitters,” didn’t show up. Not because they didn’t care, but because the system stopped caring first. Their passion had been trivialized. Their safety was compromised. Their pay was insulting. And when they stepped back, everything else fell apart.
In early childhood education, numbers matter. Ratios often dominate policy debates, but group size, the total number of children in a room, can be just as critical. As policymakers revisit standards, group size caps are emerging as a safeguard for quality care, protecting both children’s developmental needs and educators’ well-being.
In early childhood education, leadership is not just about titles; it’s about responsibility, trust, and the ability to step in when needed. One role that often sparks discussion is the Second-in-Charge (2IC). What does this position really mean, and how can services set clear expectations to support both staff and children?
Early childhood education is a dynamic and deeply relational field. Educators are constantly navigating children’s diverse needs, family expectations, and systemic requirements. To sustain quality practice, reflection is essential. Reflection allows educators to pause, analyze experiences, and adapt their approaches to better support children’s learning and well-being.
One powerful framework for reflection is Gibbs Reflective Cycle (1988). Widely used in education, healthcare, and professional development, it provides a structured way to think critically about experiences and plan for improvement. In early childhood, Gibbs Cycle helps educators move beyond surface-level observations to deeper insights about pedagogy, relationships, and environments.
Art in early childhood is far more than paint, paper, and glue it is a language of identity, exploration, and meaning‑making. When children create freely, they reveal how they see the world, how they solve problems, and how they express emotion. Yet in many settings, art experiences still lean heavily toward adult‑directed crafts, templates, and identical products. These practices can unintentionally limit children’s agency, creativity, and confidence.
This guide invites educators to pause, question, and re‑envision their role in children’s artistic experiences. Through reflective prompts and practical shifts, it supports teams to cultivate environments where creativity thrives, individuality is celebrated, and every child’s artistic “voice” is valued.
Children experience adult communication not just through words, but through tone, emotional energy, facial expression, and body language. Two interactions may be equally loud, yet feel completely different to a child. Understanding this distinction is essential for safeguarding, trauma‑informed practice, and meeting regulatory obligations.
A: While stencils can sometimes support fine motor skills and tracing practice, the EYLF and NQS place a strong emphasis on child‑directed, open‑ended experiences that nurture creativity, agency, and authentic expression. This means the real issue isn’t whether stencils are “wrong,” but how their use aligns with our responsibility to prioritise process art and ensure children’s voices remain at the centre of their learning.
A: The short answer: Yes, in most cases. While ACECQA requires practicums as part of qualifications, the rule that some hours must be completed outside the current workplace is usually enforced by training providers (TAFEs, RTOs, universities). This ensures diverse experiences, exposure to different service types, and quality assurance across the sector.
Practicums are a vital part of ECEC qualifications in Australia. They ensure that students gain supervised, hands‑on experience in real settings, bridging theory with practice.
Morning group time sets the tone for the day in early childhood settings. For children aged 3–5, this is a golden opportunity to build belonging, strengthen language, nurture rhythm, and ease transitions into play and learning. A well‑designed group time moves calmly from centering rituals into energising activities, balancing structure with child‑led moments. Below are engaging strategies and examples that educators can adapt to their own classrooms, ensuring mornings feel joyful, connected, and purposeful.
The EYLF provides a foundation for quality early childhood education in Australia. At its heart are the five learning outcomes, which guide educators in supporting children’s holistic development. These outcomes—Identity, Community, Well-being, Learning, and Communication—are essential, but remembering them in order can sometimes be tricky. To make them easier to recall, educators can use creative strategies such as mnemonics, visual aids, storytelling, and interactive activities. This article explores fun and practical methods to embed the outcomes into everyday practice.
Reflections are powerful tools for growth, learning, and connection. Whether used in education, professional practice, or personal journaling, a strong reflection goes beyond recounting events—it captures authentic experiences, explores emotions, and identifies lessons that shape future actions. This checklist is designed to help writers and evaluators ensure that reflections are meaningful, structured, and impactful. It can be used by students, educators, colleagues, or anyone seeking to deepen their reflective practice.
“Thank You for the Memories” is a beautifully crafted end‑of‑year portfolio template designed to help educators farewell each child with warmth, gratitude, and a lasting memento of their time in care. Simple yet deeply meaningful, this template captures the emotional essence of early childhood education connection, belonging, and shared experiences.
The following lists cultural and special events that are taking place from January to December 2026. This should help you plan and organise upcoming events and celebrations in 2026.
