The number of children using Child Care Subsidy approved care fell in every state and territory in the June quarter of 2026 compared with a year earlier. At the same time, centre based day care services continued to grow nationally and average fees increased.
For Sparrow Early Learning, finding a childcare management system (CCMS) that could support their scale and ambitions was never going to be a decision made lightly. Sparrow needed a partner it could trust to operate at its scale for years to come, a structured migration plan, and support that protected educators, operational teams and, most importantly, children and families.
The Childcare Leadership Alliance (CLA) has reached a major organisational milestone, officially signing a direct Social Investment Project Contract with BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA).
Every child deserves a strong start to their learning. Victoria’s landmark universal three-year-old kindergarten reform is delivering just that. New findings from a major study at University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Education have revealed that children who receive two years of funded kindergarten compared to one year have an additional five-months of progress in language development and two to three-months of progress in memory and problem-solving skills by the time they begin school.
New data from Be You, Beyond Blue's mental health in education initiative, reveals that educators are becoming more confident in supporting everyday mental health concerns, but less confident their schools and early learning services are prepared to respond to critical incidents.
Early childhood and primary teacher, children’s author, and literacy advocate Poppy Yayakos has joined the World Literacy Foundation’s Sun Books: Global Children’s Library as an Author Patron, expanding her commitment to literacy that already reaches families throughout her community in Darwin, Australia.
Nido Education Limited has reported higher first-half revenue but lower earnings and a statutory loss, prompting the early childhood education and care operator to withdraw its FY2026 adjusted earnings growth target. The result follows the resignation of long-serving Chief Financial Officer Tom Herring, who will leave the company in November.
The Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA) has proudly launched Early Years Dialogue, a new video series exploring the issues, challenges and opportunities shaping Australia’s early learning sector.
Queensland Education and Care approved services will face updated requirements covering child safety, transportation, sleep and rest, digital technologies and incident reporting when the Education and Care Services Regulation 2026 takes effect from 1 September.
The appointment of Linda Waugh as Queensland’s new Ombudsman places an experienced public sector integrity leader at the head of an independent office responsible for examining the administrative actions and decisions of government agencies, including matters involving the regulation of early childhood education and care.
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