Close
FDCA is excited to announce that nominations are open in the 2025 Excellence for Family Day Care Awards!
The Awards celebrate the amazing work done by educators, coordinators and services all across the family day care sector who help to deliver high quality early childhood education and care to Australian children.
As the only national awards program in Australia dedicated to family day care, the Awards highlight the benefits of the nurturing, natural approach to early education and care that family day care provides.
By placing a nomination and spreading the word, you’ll help contribute to raising the profile of family day care and increasing the awareness of the sector.
You can nominate an educator, coordinator or service by clicking here.
The Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) has released a new discussion paper titled ‘Play-Based Learning with Intentionality’, highlighting the significant impact of intentional teaching within early childhood education and care.
The paper uncovered several key findings, including:
To explore AERO’s findings further and to access the full discussion paper, click here.
The full program for the FDCA 2025 National Conference is now available to view.
After receiving a record number of outstanding abstract submissions, we're excited to offer members five engaging content streams across two full days of conferencing. Delegates will have the opportunity to choose from 20 workshops, each designed to meet the unique needs of family day care.
Whatever your passion or area of interest, we're confident the FDCA 2025 National Conference program will offer something that will inspire and engage you!
To view the conference program, click here.
Limited Full Registration Tickets Available - Don't Miss Out
Full registration conference tickets are still available at the early-bird rate, but they won’t last long. These tickets offer the most comprehensive conference experience and will give you access to everything the event has to offer, including all keynote sessions, workshops, the welcome function and gala dinner.
To avoid disappointment, we encourage you to secure your full registration ticket as soon as possible. You can secure your ticket via four monthly instalments or a single payment purchase, by clicking here.
The Fair Work Commission (FWC) has recently released a Provisional Decision as part of its ‘Gender-Based Undervaluation – Priority Awards Review’. This review aims to address the long standing undervaluation of work in female dominated sectors, including family day care.
Historically, roles in early childhood education and care have been undervalued, largely due to gender based assumptions. The FWC's review is working to address this gap by reassessing wages in line with modern standards and community expectations.
The decision recommends that all family day care work (for those that are employees) should be covered under the Children's Services Award rather than the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services (SCHADS) Award. Another key aspect of the decision is the proposal for wage increases to be phased in over five years, starting August 2025. These adjustments are intended to address historical undervaluation and ensure fairer pay and conditions for educators in the sector.
It should be noted that this remains a provisional decision and there are opportunities for sector input before the Fair Work Commission makes its final determination. We encourage all FDC service providers and educators to consider contributing to the consultation process to ensure all perspectives are considered.
For more information on the Gender-Based Undervaluation – Priority Awards Review and to participate in the consultation process, visit the Fair Work Commission's website.
May 12-18 is National Families Week and this year’s theme is Lending A Hand To Thrive: Supporting Each Other.
The theme highlights the importance of connection, care, and resilience within families and is an opportunity to reflect on the strength of family bonds, reconnect with loved ones, and embrace activities that bring us together. No matter what family looks like for you, celebrate the power of support and the difference we can make for each other.
National Families Week is a time to celebrate with your family, connect with your extended family and friends, and share in the enjoyment of family activities within the wider community. No matter where you live – in our major cities or a remote community in the country – all Australians, including community organisations, schools, councils, companies and individuals are invited to participate in National Families Week each year.
To find out more about National Families Week and access resources, visit the National Families Week website.
When an educator changes the address from where they provide care, the service must notify the Department of Education.
Notifications can be made through the Provider Entry Point (PEP) or via the third-party software provider.
Notification Timeframes:
Approved providers must notify the Department within the following timeframes:
Educators play an essential role in helping services meet this obligation by informing their service as soon as possible about any upcoming address changes.
You can read more about notification requirements on the Department of Education’s website.
Thank you to everyone who shared their expertise and ideas following our recent Family Day Care Brains Trust call out in April.
The scenario for April was:
Amera cares for children aged 18 months to three years and is looking for new ideas for play experiences that can be adapted to suit all ages and developmental stages.
Some of the suggestions and strategies that were put forward covered the following topics:
To view a selection of the community’s suggestions and to add your own comments, visit the FDCA Facebook page.
.svg)
