ECE Connect Online 2026: what the March recordings reveal about sector priorities for the year ahead

The New South Wales Department of Education’s ECE Connect Online, March 2026 series has emerged as a valuable professional learning resource for early childhood education and care (ECEC) professionals, offering timely updates, regulatory guidance and practical insights across a range of sector priorities.

Delivered as a suite of free online webinars, the program was designed to support and strengthen the ECEC sector through expert-led sessions covering policy, practice, compliance and continuous improvement.

With recordings now available on demand, educators, centre managers and approved providers have an opportunity to revisit key content and apply learnings across their own services.

Child safe recruitment moves higher on the agenda

One of the most significant sessions focuses on Child Safe Recruitment – Policy and Practice, outlining upcoming regulatory changes that will require all New South Wales ECEC services to implement child-safe recruitment practices.

The session explores stronger approaches to:

• screening and suitability checks
• recruitment processes
• interview practices
• organisational culture
• safeguarding responsibilities.

The focus reflects a broader national shift toward viewing child safety as a governance responsibility as well as an operational one.

Business sustainability remains a key concern

Operational pressure continues to be a major issue across the sector, and this is reflected in sessions focused on service sustainability and access.

These include:

• Business Capability Development Program (BCDP) Round 2
• Expanding Quality Access (EQA) Program Information Session

The webinars outline available supports, program outcomes and practical guidance for services seeking assistance to strengthen viability, expand access or improve operations.

For many providers, this signals growing recognition that quality and sustainability are closely connected.

Workforce capability through professional learning

Another key session, Professional Learning in Action, highlights the role of targeted professional development in lifting educator capability, supporting teaching practice and driving continuous improvement.

This remains particularly relevant as services across Australia continue to navigate workforce shortages, retention challenges and increasing role complexity.

Flexible access to recorded learning may also help services overcome common barriers such as rostering constraints and release time.

Health and development checks gain momentum

The Health and Development Checks (HDC) in ECEC update provides insight into the rollout of universal checks for children attending early learning services.

The initiative aims to strengthen:

• early identification of developmental concerns
• referral pathways
• family support access
• collaboration between education and health systems.

For the ECEC sector, this reinforces the increasingly important role services play in early intervention and whole-child wellbeing.

Risk management remains front and centre

Risk assessment continues to be a core regulatory and operational priority.

The March series includes practical guidance on:

• identifying hazards
• understanding risk levels
• implementing risk minimisation strategies
• supervision planning
• emergency preparedness.

As expectations around safety, governance and compliance continue to rise, strong risk management capability remains essential for all services.

Assessment and rating continues to evolve

The Assessment and Rating, March 2026 session supports services preparing for the A&R process and understanding current quality expectations.

Importantly, the session reinforces that assessment and rating is not only about achieving a result, but about embedding continuous improvement and reflective practice over time.

For leaders, this can help reframe A&R as an improvement tool rather than simply a compliance event.

What the recordings reveal about 2026 priorities

Taken together, the March recordings point to several clear priorities shaping the sector this year:

• child safety and safer recruitment
• business sustainability
• workforce capability
• early intervention and wellbeing
• risk management
• quality improvement and regulation.

These themes reflect the increasing complexity of operating high-quality ECEC services in today’s environment.

A practical resource for services

With all sessions now available online, services can use the recordings to:

• support team meetings
• guide quality improvement planning
• strengthen governance knowledge
• onboard new leaders
• keep teams informed of sector change.

For time-poor professionals seeking relevant and accessible learning, ECE Connect Online 2026 offers a practical resource grounded in real sector needs.

Access the recorded webinars here.