Educational leaders play a crucial role in their early childhood service by ensuring that the educational program aligns with best practices and supports the holistic development of children. As per the Children's Services Award, educational leaders are given a yearly allowance based on how many days they are an educational leader for and non-contact time.
Educational Leaders do not receive a separate hourly wage. Their pay is based on their classification level under the Children’s Services Award (linked to qualifications and duties), and they receive an additional annual allowance for performing the Educational Leader role.
Educational Leader Allowance
- An Educational Leader - 5 days or more per week $4,784.28 per year
- An Educational Leader - 4 days per week, $3,827.44 per year
- An Educational Leader - 3 days per week, $2,870.58 per year
- An Educational Leader - 2 days per week, $1,913.72 per year
- An Educational Leader - 1 day per week, $956.86 per year
Non-Contact Time
- An employee appointed as the educational leader will be entitled to a minimum of two hours of non-contact time per week. During non-contact time, an employee will not be required to supervise children or perform other duties as directed by the employer.
- An educational leader who also has programming responsibilities for an individual child or group of children will be entitled to a minimum of four hours of non-contact time per week.
As per the Education and Care Services National Regulations, Reg 118, Educational Leader:
The approved provider of an education and care service must designate, in writing, a suitably qualified and experienced educator, coordinator, or other individual as an educational leader at the service to lead the development and implementation of educational programs in the service.
Further Reading
A Guide For Educational Leaders In Early Childhood Settings
List Of Educational Leader Responsibilities on a Day-to-Day Basis
Qualities Of An Educational Leader
Responsibilities Of An Educational Leader In Early Childhood
Educational Leader Guide: Priorities at the Start of the Year
Starting Out as an Educational Leader
References:
Education and Care Services National Regulations, ACECQA
Children's Services Award, FairWork
The Children’s Services Award introduces a streamlined classification system and updated pay rates designed to better recognise the skills, qualifications, and responsibilities of early childhood
The Children’s Services Award has 8 clear levels. These levels make it easier to understand where you fit, based on your experience, qualifications, and responsibilities.
When working as a qualified early childhood teacher (with a university degree) within a service, your rate of pay will come from the Educational Services
Diploma-qualified educators play a vital role in early childhood services, taking on responsibilities that range from supporting children’s learning and development to leading rooms and
Certificate III qualified educators form the backbone of early childhood services, providing essential care and learning support for children across all settings. Their wages under
Early Childhood Teachers (ECTs) play a vital role in leading curriculum and pedagogy in early learning settings. Regulation 272 of the Education and Care Services
Children need safe and positive environments to learn and grow. To ensure this, services and educators need to ensure effective supervision at all times. The
Floorbook is a documentation approach that uses a large book with blank pages for children to record different aspects of their learning in small groups
In Norway and most other Scandinavian countries, children nap in the outdoors. According, to research outdoor sleeping not only promotes better daytime sleeping, but it
From 2026, every educator covered by the Children’s Services Award will move into a new, simplified classification structure. Instead of navigating 30 different levels, educators
