Close
Following last week's initial media coverage on the Family Day Care Capability Trial (the Trial), more positive stories about the Trial have been featured across various channels and publications in the last week and has reached an audience of over 113,000 people.
Thus far, positive news coverage about the Trial has been featured on:
The Trial has also been featured across a number of radio stations, including 4BC Radio Brisbane, where FDCA Chief Executive Officer Andrew spoke to the broader benefits of family day care.
To listen to some of the coverage, click on the links below.
From 1 August 2026, amendments to the Disability Standards for Education 2005 commenced, extending the Standards to family day care and most other early childhood education and care services.
The Standards clarify the responsibilities of services and educators under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the rights of children with disability to
Family day care services and educators should work with children and their families to understand their individual needs and identify any reasonable adjustments required to support their participation.
Further information and resources are available on the ACECQA and The Australian Government Department of Education websites.
Through the Australian Government-funded FDC Capability Trial, FDCA is showcasing innovative family day care models from across Australia. Over the coming weeks, our Rethinking Family Day Care series will explore how family day care can respond to community needs, support educators and expand access to education and care.
Building a sustainable early childhood workforce requires new ways to connect education, training and practical experience.
A partnership between Thrive Group and Don College is developing an on-campus family day care model designed to provide education and care for local families while creating supervised placement opportunities for students completing early childhood qualifications.
This week’s story explores how bringing family day care into an education setting could reduce barriers to student placements and create new pathways into the profession.
Click here to read the full story and consider what partnerships with local schools, colleges or training providers could make possible in your community.
The Australian Government Department of Education is monitoring Child Care Subsidy (CCS) attendance reporting and has identified patterns that may not reflect the care actually provided.
These include:
Approved providers and services are responsible for ensuring session reports are accurate. Educators support this by maintaining complete attendance records and promptly providing accurate information to their service.
Services and educators must work together to:
Services should regularly review the information received from educators and follow up on any unusual patterns or discrepancies before submitting or updating session reports.
The Department will continue monitoring attendance reporting and may take compliance action where obligations under Family Assistance Law are not met.
For further guidance, visit the Department of Education’s How to manage absences webpage.
Services Australia will begin balancing Child Care Subsidy (CCS) payments for the 2025–26 financial year from mid-August.
Families receiving CCS generally need to confirm their family income before their payments can be balanced. They can do this by lodging a tax return with the Australian Taxation Office or advising Services Australia that they do not need to lodge one. A current or former partner may also need to confirm their income.
Services and educators may wish to share this reminder with families or direct families who have questions to the Services Australia website.
As a member of FDCA, did you know that you have access to a range of FREE customisable marketing resources that you can use to promote your family day care?
For many early childhood professionals and services, the time and cost involved in developing marketing materials is daunting.
FDCA’s Market My Business Hub provides you with easy access to professionally crafted customised marketing resources to promote your business. With more material than ever before, you can order customised digital material so that you can have it printed as you see fit.
What’s available in the Market My Business Hub
All material in the Market My Business Hub has been designed on the back of extensive market research and sector consultation, so you can be sure that the material you order will resonate with your audience.
With a wide range of digital resources available in the Market My Business Hub, members can access:
To access the Market My Business Hub, click here.
.svg)
