The Fair Work Commission has introduced important changes to how cooks are classified and paid under the Children’s Services Award 2010. These changes recognise that many cooks in early childhood settings perform responsibilities that go beyond food preparation and contribute directly to children’s care and safety.

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 will transition into one of eight new Children's Services Employee (CSE) levels based on their qualification, experience, and role responsibilities.

This update doesn’t change the work you do; it simply ensures your classification and minimum pay rate accurately reflect the skills, knowledge, and responsibility you bring to your role. Whether you’re new to the sector, a Certificate III educator, a Diploma‑qualified educator, a room leader, or a director, you’ll be able to clearly see where you fit and what your new minimum rate will be by the end of the five‑year transition.

Below is an easy‑to‑read guide showing how each current classification translates into the new structure.

Over the next five years, educators across the sector will see steady, structured wage increases designed to lift pay to the new benchmark rates for each qualification level. These increases begin with a 5% rise in March 2026, followed by annual increases each 30 June, and finish with a small top‑up adjustment in the final year to ensure every educator reaches their correct new classification rate.

This staged approach gives educators a clear, predictable pathway to their new pay level and ensures that both Certificate III and Diploma‑qualified educators move confidently toward the final correct rate by 30 June 2029.

On 10 December 2025, the Fair Work Commission issued a major determination affecting the Children’s Services Award 2010 (MA000120). These changes form part of the Gender-Based Undervaluation Priority Review, recognising long‑standing inequities in early childhood. 

The updated award will come into operation on 1 March 2026 and will apply from the first full pay period on or after that date.

This article breaks down the key changes so educators, cooks, support workers, room leaders, and directors can understand what the new structure means for them.

In April 2025, the Fair Work Commission (FWC) issued a provisional decision recommending staged award increases to address the undervaluation of early childhood educators; however, a final ruling has not yet been handed down.

In late 2024, the Australian Government announced a 15% wage increase for early childhood educators. The so‑called “15% grant” is actually a government‑funded wage subsidy that delivers a 15% pay rise for early childhood educators. Services must apply for the funding, agree to fee‑cap conditions, and pass the increase directly to staff. Once the grant period ends, services lose the subsidy and must sustain wages through normal operations.

Caring for and teaching children is some of the most important work in the country. For decades, early childhood educators have carried this responsibility without fair recognition in their pay. The federal government’s announcement of a 15% increase was heralded as a “historic pay rise.” But in reality, this measure is a temporary grant, not a permanent reform.

In early childhood services across Australia, educators are often expected to stay beyond their rostered hours to complete tasks—cleaning, documentation, ratio coverage, or closing duties. But when this extra time goes unpaid, it’s not just unfair—it may be unlawful.

Australia’s early childhood educators are facing a silent crisis—one marked by systemic wage theft, escalating burnout, and compromised quality of care. A groundbreaking study from the University of Sydney has pulled back the curtain on the realities educators navigate daily, revealing that over 70% are working an average of 7–9 unpaid hours per week. This is more than just a pay gap—it's an ethical fault line.

Educators, ECTs, and Trainees who are currently earning minimum wages from the Children's Services Award, Early Childhood Teacher's Award, and National Training Wage will now receive a 3.5% pay increase from the first full pay period.