Childcare provider takes action in countdown to major subsidy reform

Strategic workforce planning, communication and a commitment to quality will be critical for early childhood education and care providers as they prepare for major Child Care Subsidy (CCS) policy reform. 

With just under three months until the Australian Government replaces the CCS activity test with the 3 Day Guarantee on 5 January 2026, Queensland Childcare Services (QCCS) has undertaken significant planning to meet projected demand across its 24 centres.  

According to QCCS General Manager Laura Faalili, additional demand is expected to come from both new and existing centre families.  

“The activity test mechanism has certainly presented a Catch-22 situation for many Australian parents, whereby they can’t access affordable care without specific working conditions in place, but they can’t secure that work without first having access to that care,” Ms Faalili said. 

“Meanwhile, some of our existing families have had to withdraw or reduce attendance due to a reduction or inconsistency of their working hours. 

“So, while a guaranteed three days a week (72 hours a fortnight) of subsidised care will likely attract new families, we also expect some of our existing families will reinstate or seek more days.  

“Any disruption of learning continuity can affect a child’s emotional, social and cognitive development, and so QCCS welcomes the 3 Day Guarantee as a positive and progressive step towards improving access to consistent, high-quality early learning experiences during critical formative years. 

“It is critically important however that we ensure readiness to meet the demand where it will most likely be concentrated.”  

According to Australian Department of Education Child Care Subsidy data, three-year-old children are the most likely to be enrolled in childcare, with 216,770 of this age group attending. 

In line with the 3 Day Guarantee’s focus on cost-of-living relief and school readiness, QCCS expects much of the growth in demand will include this age group. 

“We anticipate the highest growth in demand will be among three- to five-year-olds, particularly across  all QCCS services. Our centres offer Queensland Government-approved Kindergarten programs with free Kindy hours,” said Ms Faalili. 

“As such, ensuring access to qualified early childhood teaching staff will be of the utmost importance, as will ensuring broader staff wellbeing.  

“QCCS is investing in forward workforce planning, including targeted recruitment, staff retention strategies, and flexible rostering models, as well as providing regular professional development and wellbeing support to our more than 700 staff. 

QCCS rated exceptionally high in the KindiCare Quality Index for childcare services in 2024ii, with its Winston Glades Early Education Centre & Preschool in Ipswich one of only two centres Australia-wide to be awarded a perfect 10.0 rating and one of only four centres in Queensland rated ‘Excellent’ by ACECQA. One of its Brisbane centres, The Woods Early Education Centre and Preschool, achieved a near-perfect 9.9 rating.

“Good communication is core to QCCS’s quality focus, and in the case of the current reform, we are proactively communicating with families through multiple channels including  digital newsletters, in-centre displays, information sessions, and direct conversations with Centre Directors,” Ms Faalili said. 

“Our team is trained to provide accurate and up-to-date information and to assist families in understanding how their entitlements may change under the new policy.” 

According to the Australian Government, around 66,700 families nationally will benefit in the first year of implementing the 3 Day Guarantee, with 100,000 families expected to be eligible for more subsided care hours.  

About Queensland Childcare Services: 

Queensland Childcare Services (QCCS) is a privately owned and operated company which provides early childhood education to children in south east Queensland. Established in 1991, QCCS is one of Australia’s leading providers of high quality, individualised care and education of young children. 

QCCS is committed to the implementation of the National Early Years Learning Framework and  operates an Emergent Curriculum. An Emergent Curriculum is largely based around the interests of a child or group of children. As a child shows interest in a topic or activity, their educators facilitate this interest by providing resources and materials to help guide their learning, exploration and discovery. 

Their first and foremost important goal is to inspire delight, curiosity and inquiry in the classroom. These  are the greatest gifts our teachers can give a child.