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The annual Excellence in Family Day Care Awards Gala Dinner is just around the corner and there are only a handful of tickets left. Ticket sales will close Sunday 15th November at 11.59pm AEDT - don't miss out on your last chance to secure your spot.
Taking place on Saturday 28 November 2026 at the Pullman Brisbane King George Square, the Gala Dinner will bring the family day care community together for a special evening celebrating the outstanding educators, coordinators and services who make a difference to children, families and communities across Australia.
Join friends and colleagues from across the sector, celebrate this year’s Award Winners and Finalists, and be there as the 2026 National Award Winners are announced.
What does my ticket include?
Your Gala Dinner ticket includes:
FDCA members can secure tickets at an exclusive members-only discounted rate of $165 ($215 for non-members).
Table packages available
Discounted tickets are available if you would like to purchase a table for a group of 8, 9 or 10. If you would like to purchase a table, please email marketing@fdca.com.au for more information.
To find out more about the Gala Dinner, including times and dress code details, click here.
Change and challenge are part of education and care, but professional resilience should not mean pushing through alone or pretending that difficult days do not affect us. Professional resilience is the capacity to respond and adapt when work is demanding with the support and resources available to us.
Supportive collegial relationships, recognising our strengths and knowing when to seek assistance can all contribute. For an educator, this might involve talking through a difficult experience with a coordinator. For a coordinator, it may mean seeking guidance from a colleague or manager. Services can help by acknowledging pressures and making support available, alongside considering whether expectations or work arrangements need to change.
A moment to reflect: Think of a recent challenge you handled. Which strength or relationship helped you through it? How could you draw on that support again?
Be You’s micro learning introduces the concept of professional resilience and offers practical strategies, and reflection prompts for managing stress and adapting to change. Please note that a free Be You account is required to access this resource.
Explore the Be You micro learning: Building professional resilience
The Australian Government Department of Education has recently reminded providers about the importance of keeping Working with Children Check (WWCC) information current, accurate and reported on time.
A family day care session is only eligible for Child Care Subsidy (CCS) if the educator who provided the care holds a current WWCC and the provider has correctly notified the Department of the educator’s check.
Sessions may not be eligible for CCS if:
What Services Should Do
Approved providers should regularly review their processes to ensure:
What Educators Should Do
Educators should ensure their WWCC remains current and immediately advise their service if it is renewed, extended, suspended, revoked, expires or otherwise changes. They should also promptly provide any updated information or evidence requested by their service.
Failure to meet WWCC obligations may result in sessions being ineligible for CCS and compliance action against the approved provider. This may include debts, infringement notices, conditions on approval, or suspension or cancellation of approval.
For further information, visit the Australian Government Department of Education’s Working with Children Checks webpage.
Education Ministers met on 2 November 2026 and agreed to progress further national reforms affecting early childhood education and care.
The proposed work includes:
These initiatives are still being developed and do not introduce new requirements at this stage. Existing supervision, qualification and child-safety obligations continue to apply.
FDCA will monitor these developments and provide members with further information when guidance, regulatory changes or implementation details become available.
ACECQA has released a new NQF Child Safety Team Meeting Package to help education and care services strengthen their understanding of child safety requirements and reflect on child-safe practice.
The package contains four ready-to-use professional learning sessions covering:
Each session includes an outline, facilitator guide and participant handout. Family day care services can adapt the sessions for educator meetings, coordinator visits, leadership discussions or online professional learning.
Services may work through the sessions over time and use the discussion prompts to consider how child safety requirements apply within their own family day care settings. Educators can participate by sharing practical experiences, reflecting on everyday decisions and identifying opportunities to strengthen practice.
The package complements existing child safety training and regulatory requirements but does not replace mandatory training or other legal obligations.
For further information, visit ACECQA to access the free NQF Child Safety Team Meeting Package.
With warmer weather approaching, now is a good time for family day care services and educators to review their sun safety practices and outdoor environments.
Sun protection should be used whenever the UV Index reaches 3 or above. Services and educators should follow their sun-protection policies and consider strategies such as:
SunSmart provides information and free resources to help early childhood services and educators strengthen their sun protection practices.
To find out more, explore SunSmart’s early childhood resources.
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