A major childcare provider operating 18 centres across New South Wales has introduced a $20 fine for families who fail to follow prescribed drop-off and pick-up procedures. The move—framed as a compliance measure—has sparked widespread concern among families, educators, and advocates, especially given the provider’s recent scrutiny during a parliamentary inquiry into safety breaches.

In a world increasingly driven by metrics, compliance, and performance benchmarks, early childhood education stands at a crossroads. The question is no longer just “Are we meeting standards?” but “Are we nurturing joy?” A growing movement of educators, researchers, and sector advocates is reclaiming the emotional heart of early learning—where delight, wonder, and connection are not side effects but central outcomes.

The federal childcare regulator has issued clear guidance to operators in response to a surge in serious incidents—particularly involving children being lost, left behind, or locked in rooms in response to a spike in safety breaches across the sector.

Australia’s early childhood education sector is facing a reckoning, as a Senate inquiry uncovers widespread concerns about declining quality and child well-being—particularly in for-profit early learning services.

Two senior executives at Affinity Education Group—one of Australia’s largest childcare providers—have resigned following a series of disturbing incidents and mounting public scrutiny.

From 19 January 2026, new mandatory safety standards for infant sleep products will be taking effect across Australia. These changes affect all consumers who use infant sleep products, including ECEC services. The updated mandatory standards set out requirements for the design, construction, and warning labels on infant sleep products and inclined non-sleep products.

Approximately 40 Victorian educators have had their Working with Children Checks revoked despite previously being banned from early childhood settings. 

Education Ministers have made safeguarding practices a national priority. As part of this, they’ve asked ACECQA to conduct a rapid assessment of how educator-to-child ratios are being applied in practice under the National Quality Framework.

In a moment of reckoning for one of the nation’s largest early childhood education providers, Tim Hickey, CEO of Affinity Education Group, has publicly apologised for a series of safety breaches across the organisation’s centres. His statement was delivered during a New South Wales parliamentary inquiry examining systemic issues in childcare safety and regulation.

In a landmark move toward equity and empowerment, Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation (ACCO) services are expanding across New South Wales, offering families more choice, more places, and more opportunities for culturally grounded early childhood education.