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The Sector - Early education news, events and more

Latest news

Nido’s Edge agreement offers a fresh start and questions for the sector

Nido’s proposed acquisition of nine Edge Early Learning services offers the prospect of continuity for children, families and educators. It also raises questions about what makes an early learning service sustainable.

New working-from-home changes: which ECEC administrators are covered?

New Clerks Award provisions give eligible employees a pathway to request working from home. Early learning employers need to check who is covered before applying the change.

Is your service compliant on paper, but vulnerable in practice?

Policies can be updated quickly. Giving educators the time, resources and support to embed them takes more work and responsibility for that work needs to be shared.

Latest news

Nido’s Edge agreement offers a fresh start and questions for the sector

Nido’s proposed acquisition of nine Edge Early Learning services offers the prospect of continuity for children, families and educators. It also raises questions about what makes an early learning service sustainable.

New working-from-home changes: which ECEC administrators are covered?

New Clerks Award provisions give eligible employees a pathway to request working from home. Early learning employers need to check who is covered before applying the change.

Is your service compliant on paper, but vulnerable in practice?

Policies can be updated quickly. Giving educators the time, resources and support to embed them takes more work and responsibility for that work needs to be shared.

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Goodstart 2026 Annual Report highlights resilience and commitment during "difficult year”

Goodstart Early Learning, Australia’s largest provider of early childhood education and care (ECEC) services, delivered a solid 2026 performance despite a challenging operating environment with a surplus of $10.9 million reported and sector leading results in areas such as quality, inclusion spending, retention and advocacy.

Therapist with child

Goodstart Early Learning, Australia’s largest provider of early childhood education and care (ECEC) services, delivered a solid 2026 performance despite a challenging operating environment with a surplus of $10.9 million reported and sector leading results in areas such as quality, inclusion spending, retention and advocacy.

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Private or not-for-profit: why are we taking sides in early learning?

Private or not-for-profit: why are we taking sides in early learning?

Who helps educators make sense of children’s learning?

Understanding Children

Who helps educators make sense of children’s learning?

When I start school, who will help me?

Understanding Children

When I start school, who will help me?

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Marketplace

Financial incentives helping early childhood teachers and educators build their careers in Victoria

Updated guidelines provide clearer pathways for eligible early childhood teachers and educators considering a move to Victoria, returning to the sector or exploring new career opportunities.

Financial incentives helping early childhood teachers and educators build their careers in Victoria

TAFE SA invites sector expertise to help shape the future of early childhood training

TAFE SA invites sector expertise to help shape the future of early childhood training

OSHC needs more than a booking button bolted onto a childcare app

Outside School Hours Care

OSHC needs more than a booking button bolted onto a childcare app

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Editor’s Pick

A serious incident is no time to discover you’re unprepared as an approved provider

Families want answers, support and to be listened to and followed up with. Providers need to be prepared to deliver that response.

Affordability & Accessibility

Rural early learning services at significant risk as fee cap fails to reflect costs, Thrive warns

Tasmanian not-for-profit provider Thrive is calling for targeted changes to the fee cap attached to the Worker Retention Payment, saying rural services need greater flexibility to remain sustainable while protecting educator wages and family access.

Keep Exploring

Professional development

New scholarships offer early childhood educators up to $25,000 towards teaching degrees

Applications are now open for the ACT Government's 2026 Early Childhood Degree Scholarship Program, which funds eligible early childhood educators to pursue an approved teaching qualification.

New Bravehearts course helps educators respond to children’s sexual behaviours

A new eLearning course combines early childhood development knowledge with tools for documenting concerns, communicating with families and contributing to safety planning.

A serious incident is no time to discover you’re unprepared as an approved provider

Families want answers, support and to be listened to and followed up with. Providers need to be prepared to deliver that response.

Affordability & Accessibility

Rural early learning services at significant risk as fee cap fails to reflect costs, Thrive warns

Professional development

New scholarships offer early childhood educators up to $25,000 towards teaching degrees

New Bravehearts course helps educators respond to children’s sexual behaviours

Early Childhood Education & Child Care News

For you

Finexia confirms early learning group Shared Beginnings place in administration

ASX listed financial services Group Finexia has confirmed that Shared Beginnings, its early learning subsidiary, has been placed in voluntary administration.

Is your service compliant on paper, but vulnerable in practice?

Policies can be updated quickly. Giving educators the time, resources and support to embed them takes more work and responsibility for that work needs to be shared.

New working-from-home changes: which ECEC administrators are covered?

New Clerks Award provisions give eligible employees a pathway to request working from home. Early learning employers need to check who is covered before applying the change.

Corporate activity

Nido’s Edge agreement offers a fresh start and questions for the sector

Nido’s proposed acquisition of nine Edge Early Learning services offers the prospect of continuity for children, families and educators. It also raises questions about what makes an early learning service sustainable.

Finexia confirms early learning group Shared Beginnings place in administration

ASX listed financial services Group Finexia has confirmed that Shared Beginnings, its early learning subsidiary, has been placed in voluntary administration.

Is your service compliant on paper, but vulnerable in practice?

New working-from-home changes: which ECEC administrators are covered?

Corporate activity

Nido’s Edge agreement offers a fresh start and questions for the sector