New national data reveals a drop in the proportion of qualified staff working in early childhood education and care services.

Recent alerts from TEQSA (Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency) and ASQA (Australian Skills Quality Authority) have raised concerns about students being funnelled into childcare courses without genuine interest or adequate preparation. Migration agents and private colleges offering fast-tracked qualifications are contributing to a surge of students entering placements without mandatory checks or sufficient training.

The National Quality Standard (NQS) has been updated to further reinforce the responsibility of early childhood education and care services in safeguarding children. Under Quality Area 7: Governance and Leadership, Standard 7.1—Governance now explicitly highlights that governance must support the operation of a quality service that is child safe.

 The NQS continues to evolve to ensure that early childhood education and care services uphold the highest standards of safety, wellbeing, and protection for children. From 01 January 2026, a significant change has been introduced under Quality Area 2: Children’s Health and Safety, with the addition of Element 2.2.3 – Child Safety and Protection.

All children have the fundamental right to feel safe, valued, respected and supported while attending early childhood education and care (ECEC) in NSW. To reinforce this right, the NSW Government has amended the Children (Education and Care Services) National Law (NSW) as part of recent child safety reforms. These changes introduce new provisions that make it an offence to subject a child in ECEC to “inappropriate conduct” and clearly define what that means in an early childhood context.

The NSW Government has created the Early Learning Commission to strengthen child safety, quality, and accountability in early childhood education. This follows lessons from the Wheeler Review and new legislative reforms.

The Commission’s guiding principle is simple: Children first, always.

The Department has released an end‑of‑year update on the Worker Retention Payment, including important information about the gender‑based undervaluation review, payment processing, and deadlines for backdated funding reviews. Services currently participating or considering applying are encouraged to review the details below.

The past year in early childhood education has been one of the most confronting, transformative, and clarifying periods our sector has faced in a long time. It was a year where long‑standing cracks became impossible to ignore, where long‑awaited reforms finally began to move, and where educators, leaders, and families continued to show extraordinary resilience in the face of relentless pressure.

From wage reform to compliance shifts, from safeguarding failures to renewed conversations about purpose, 2025 forced us to look closely at what we value, what we tolerate, and what we refuse to carry forward. And through it all, the heart of the sector the people who show up for children every day continued to hold communities together with professionalism, care, and courage.

Here’s a look back at the year that shaped us.

The idea of $10‑a‑day childcare sounds appealing, especially for families struggling with the cost of living. But a new report commissioned by the Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA) warns that the funding model behind this proposal could have serious consequences for educators, staffing levels, and the quality of early learning.

This article breaks down what the report is saying in a way that’s clear, practical, and relevant to the people who feel these changes first: educators.

At the centre of this case is an incident captured on CCTV at an early learning service in Bathurst, where 18‑year‑old educator Hayley Kelleher grabbed and dragged a three‑year‑old boy by the arm during rest time. The child was not injured, but the action breached expected standards of conduct and resulted in a conviction for common assault. What the court documents also reveal, however, is that Kelleher was visibly overwhelmed, repeatedly sought help from a senior colleague, and was ignored—leaving a young, inexperienced educator to manage a high‑pressure situation entirely on her own.