Supporting essential workers to strengthen regional early learning communities

As workforce pressures continue to shape early childhood education and care (ECEC) across regional New South Wales, structured relocation support is emerging as a critical lever for attraction, retention and long-term community stability.

Access to qualified educators and essential service professionals remains one of the most persistent challenges facing regional communities.

While recruitment campaigns can generate interest, successful relocation, and long-term retention, it depends on more than a job offer. It requires coordinated support, community connection and practical settlement assistance.

The NSW Government’s The Welcome Experience program supports essential worker businesses, including ECEC business, and is designed to address exactly this gap.

• Since launching in 2023, The Welcome Experience has supported over 2000 essential workers across key sectors including education, health and emergency services, to relocate to regional NSW. 

   

These figures reflect not only workforce movement, but broader community growth,  a critical factor in sustaining local services, including early learning providers.

For ECEC services operating under the National Quality Framework (NQF), workforce stability directly influences regulatory compliance, continuity of care, and the capacity to meet the National Quality Standard (NQS), particularly in relation to staffing arrangements and educational leadership.

Regional employers consistently report that relocation support requires time and resources that many organisations, particularly those operating in high-pressure environments, simply do not have.

An external program evaluation completed in 2025 found that employers value the independent and centralised support model of The Welcome Experience. Local Connectors provide personalised assistance to essential workers and their families, relieving employers of the practical and personal settlement tasks that often fall outside professional onboarding processes.

This separation of roles allows employers to focus on workplace induction, professional integration and service delivery, while Local Connectors assist with housing searches, local orientation, school enrolments, community connections and partner employment pathways.

For early learning services navigating workforce shortages, this model offers operational efficiencies:

• reduced time spent coordinating relocation logistics
• faster settlement for new staff
• clearer professional boundaries between workplace and personal support
• improved workforce integration

Employers report that shortening the ‘time to settle’ delivers visible benefits in productivity and team cohesion.

Recruitment is only part of the equation. Retention determines long-term impact.

In a survey of people supported by the program:

• 71 per cent of workers report a positive impact on their own relocation experience
• 65 per cent indicate an intention to extend contracts or settle permanently, influenced in part by the support received

Workers describe early contact from Local Connectors, including phone calls, emails and tailored local information, as reducing anxiety and easing the transition into a new community.

This emotional and practical support appears to influence longer-term settlement intentions. When foundational needs such as housing, connection and local orientation are addressed early, workers are better positioned to focus on their professional responsibilities.

Watch this short video highlighting various essential worker’s relocation journeys and the role of Local Connectors in easing the transition can be viewed here.

For ECEC services, where relationships underpin quality practice, workforce continuity strengthens children’s sense of security and supports improved outcomes under Quality Area 4 Staffing Arrangements and Quality Area 7 Governance and Leadership.

Although improved job performance is not an explicit aim of the program, employers observe that supported workers are more confident, focused and engaged.

Reduced stress during relocation contributes to stronger early engagement in the workplace. Workers who feel welcomed and connected are more likely to integrate into teams, participate in community life and demonstrate commitment to their organisation.

In smaller regional communities, this community integration can have broader impacts. Essential workers who engage locally contribute to social cohesion and strengthen relationships between organisations and the communities they serve.

For early learning services, this has flow-on effects for enrolments, community reputation and partnership development.

Workforce attraction and retention remain central policy challenges for the ECEC sector nationally. In regional areas, these challenges are intensified by housing constraints, geographic isolation and limited local labour pools.

Programs that provide structured relocation support offer an additional tool for service owners and approved providers seeking to stabilise staffing profiles and meet regulatory obligations under the Education and Care Services National Law and Regulations.

By addressing the non-work dimensions of relocation, housing, connection, community navigation, The Welcome Experience complements employer-led recruitment strategies and supports longer-term workforce sustainability.

As regional communities continue to grow and diversify, structured settlement support may play an increasingly important role in ensuring essential services, including early childhood education and care, remain accessible, stable and high quality.

Early learning providers and other regional employers seeking further information about how The Welcome Experience supports workforce attraction and retention can access detailed guidance via The Welcome Experience: supporting essential worker businesses page. Practical examples of relocation journeys and community outcomes are also available through the Make the Move case studies here.