Emergency action notice issued to Family Day Care operator

The Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority (VECRA) has issued an Emergency Action Notice to Laugh & Learn Family Day Care Education & Training after identifying serious and immediate risks to children’s safety at two family day care residences in Craigieburn. The notice requires the provider to cease education and care at those residences until all hazards are rectified and compliance with Section 167 of the National Law is demonstrated.

This action reinforces VECRA’s strengthened regulatory posture since becoming Victoria’s independent early childhood regulator on 1 January 2026.

During unannounced inspections across nine family day care residences, authorised officers identified multiple serious breaches at two locations, including:

• Unsecured heavy furniture (e.g., a large bookshelf)
• Hazardous chemicals such as bleach, paint and rat bait accessible to children
• A chest freezer without a child safety lock
• Trampolines without safety matting
• Dog faeces in areas accessible to children
• Blocked emergency exits
• Unsecured water features

These hazards represent clear failures to take “every reasonable precaution” to protect children from harm, as required under Section 167 of the National Law.

The Emergency Action Notice requires the approved provider to:

• Ensure two educators cease providing education and care at their residences until all hazards are rectified
• Submit evidence within 14 days demonstrating that breaches have been addressed
• Provide an updated risk assessment for each residence

Two educators have also received warning notices.

VECRA has signalled that further enforcement action may follow if compliance is not achieved. Failure to comply with the notice may result in prosecution, with penalties up to $103,200.

This case highlights several critical themes for family day care providers and the broader ECEC sector:

1. Risk Assessment Must Be Continuous, Not Periodic

The hazards identified, chemicals, unsecured furniture, animal waste, are basic environmental risks that should be captured through routine daily checks, not only annual assessments.

2. Home-Based Care Requires Rigorous Oversight

Family day care environments can drift into “home mode” if providers do not maintain strong supervision, monitoring and coaching systems. VECRA’s findings show the consequences of insufficient oversight.

3. Emergency Action Notices Are Becoming More Common

Since VECRA’s establishment as an independent regulator, the sector has seen a clear shift toward faster, more assertive enforcement when children’s safety is compromised.

4. Providers Must Demonstrate, Not Just Assert, Compliance

The requirement to submit evidence within 14 days reinforces that compliance is now evidence‑based, not trust‑based.

To avoid similar regulatory action, providers should prioritise:

• Strengthened home-visit schedules, including unannounced checks
• Documented daily safety checklists for educators
• Clear escalation pathways when hazards are identified
• Regular refresher training on hazard identification and supervision
• Robust onboarding and monitoring of family day care educators
• Immediate corrective action when risks are identified

This incident also demonstrates the importance of provider-level governance, including quality assurance systems that detect issues before the regulator does.

The Early Childhood Regulator emphasised that families expect safe environments and that VECRA “will not hesitate to take strong and swift action whenever children’s safety is put at risk.”

For many in the ECEC sector, this notice is a reminder that compliance is not optional, and that even seemingly small oversights, an unsecured freezer, a bottle of bleach left out, can escalate into regulatory action when they accumulate or pose immediate risk.

Family day care providers, in particular, must ensure that educators understand that their home becomes a regulated learning environment, not a hybrid space where domestic habits override safety requirements.

Read the full media here.