General News

Jobs News

Professional development

Workforce

ECPPG providing financial assistance to Queensland’s future ECTs

Freya Lucas

Mar 05, 2025

Save

The Early Childhood Practicum Placement Grant (ECPPG) offers financial assistance to eligible students studying an early childhood undergraduate degree or postgraduate qualification, and is available in Queensland through the Department of Education as part of the Queensland Early Childhood Workforce Strategy.

The ECPPG provides financial support to eligible students studying an ACECQA approved early childhood teaching undergraduate degree or postgraduate qualification, and is paid on completion of the final practicum (work) placement of their qualification.

Students who are studying an eligible early childhood course and who completed their final practicum placement between 1 July 2024 to 31 December 2024 in a Queensland early childhood education and care (ECEC) service delivering an approved kindergarten program, can apply for a grant of up to $5,000.

Further grant rounds will be offered in 2025, 2026 and 2027.

For those who have undertaken, or who plan to undertake a practicum placement in an outer regional, remote or very remote eligible Queensland ECEC service, up to an additional $5,000 in financial support is on offer, provided the student’s home was more than two hours drive (each way) to the service where the placement was completed, calculated using the NRMA trip planner.

Grant amount for outer regional, remote or very remote placements

The grant amount for outer regional, remote or very remote placements will depend on the location of the service, and the duration of the placement.

Refer to the table below for the grant funding amounts.

	Less than 15 days*	15 days*	20 days*	25–35 days*	40 plus days*
Outer regional	$150 per day	$2,250	$3,000	$3,200	$3,400
Remote or very remote	$225 per day	$3,375	$4,500	$4,700	$5,000

Eligibility criteria

Students are eligible to apply for the Early Childhood Practicum Placement Grant 2024 if:

they are an Australian citizen or permanent resident; and
they are a Queensland resident or reside in a location immediately bordering Queensland; and
they are/were enrolled in an ACECQA approved early childhood teaching undergraduate degree (e.g. Bachelor) or postgraduate qualification (Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma or Masters); and
they completed 15 consecutive days* final practicum placement during 1 July 2024 to 31 December 2024, in a Queensland early childhood education and care service that delivers an approved kindergarten program (e.g., a long day care service or sessional kindergarten service).

*Applicants that meet the above criteria who completed less than 15 consecutive days of final practicum placement may apply, however the grant will be pro-rated.

Students have until 31 March 2025 to submit a grant application via the Smart Jobs ad.

Students ARE NOT eligible to apply for this grant if they were employed in a Queensland ECEC service at the time of their final placement.

As an alternative, educators employed in a Child Care Subsidy approved ECEC service (e.g. long day care, family day care or outside school hours care) who are currently studying may be eligible for the Australian Government Paid Practicum subsidy.

Grant amounts

If you meet the eligibility criteria and your practicum placement is:

15 consecutive days or more, you can receive a grant of $5,000
less than 15 consecutive days, your grant will be pro-rated at a rate of $333.33 per consecutive day.

*Placement days are to be completed consecutively.

When to apply?

Applications are to be lodged once the final practicum placement has been completed.

Students have until 31 March 2025 to submit a grant application via Smart Jobs. Early applications, submitted prior to completion of the placement, or late applications (received after 31 March 2025) for 2024 placements, will be rejected.

Grant assessment and tax implications

Applicants should allow up to six weeks to receive a decision on complete applications. Incomplete applications may take longer to process. The grant will be paid to successful applicants as a lump sum, following receipt of bank account details.

Applicants will be notified by email of the decision regarding their grant application, the sum of the grant they are eligible for, and a request to submit bank details to facilitate payment.

Applicants are asked to check their emails regularly (including junk/spam email folders) for updates and/or requests for further information.

It is recommended that applicants seek financial advice (e.g. from a tax advisor, accountant, Australian Taxation Office and/or Centrelink regarding potential implications of the grant payments to their income tax and/or benefits they may be receiving or are to be paid.

Applicants are encouraged to keep receipts for placement-related expenses.

Further questions regarding the Early Childhood Practicum Placement Grant should be made via email to PracGrant.EC@qed.qld.gov.au

A list of Frequently Asked Questions about the grant is available here.

Don’t miss a thing

Childcare centres may have clear rules for staff numbers, but there are loopholes to get around them

There is a growing number of “serious incidents” in Australian early childhood services, including day cares.

What Can Australia Learn from Ontario’s Child Care Ratios?

As workforce pressures continue to shape early childhood education and care (ECEC) policy discussions in Australia, international comparisons provide useful perspectives. Canada’s approach, particularly in Ontario, offers a case study in how educator-to-child ratios, maximum group sizes and qualification requirements can be legislated as an integrated framework.

Burnout in early childhood education: Why leadership support is the missing lever

Early childhood educators have one of the most important jobs in Australia. We trust them to keep our kids safe, to educate them in their most formative years, and to care for them when we can’t do it ourselves. And far too often, educators are doing it all on empty.

Workforce planning in ECEC: from compliance requirement to strategic advantage

With workforce pressures continuing across early childhood education and care (ECEC), a structured approach to workforce planning is emerging as a critical leadership tool, not simply an administrative exercise.

National Early Childhood Worker Register: commencing 27 February 2026

The introduction of the National Early Childhood Worker Register from the 27 February, has signalled a significant shift in workforce oversight across early childhood education and care (ECEC).