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Today we celebrate Early Childhood Educators’ Day! A day that provides an opportunity to recognise the dedication, skill and care of early childhood educators across Australia.
Every day, educators make an important difference in the lives of children and families, creating nurturing environments where children can learn, grow, build relationships and develop a strong foundation for the future.
For FDCA, Early Childhood Educators’ Day is an opportunity to celebrate the thousands of family day care educators who make such an important contribution to children, families and communities across the country.
To all family day care educators, thank you for the passion, professionalism and commitment you bring to family day care each and every day. We hope you have a wonderful Early Childhood Educators’ Day!
To celebrate the day, we’ve shared some of the lovely words that families have shared about their family day care educators. You can find them via our Facebook Page.
FDCA is holding an election to fill two (2) member-elected Director positions on our Board, the voting period for the election will commence tomorrow, Thursday 3 September 2026.
The FDCA Board of Directors is focused on the effective governance of the organisation, including strategic direction, finance, compliance and risk management. Some of the responsibilities of the Board include:
The collaborative and performance-driven culture of the Board of Directors reflects FDCA’s commitment to best practice and continuous improvement as your peak national body.
To view profiles of the candidates who have successfully nominated for this position, please click here.
In accordance with FDCA’s constitution and the Board Director Nomination and Election Standing Order of the Board, the election campaign will be conducted by an online voting ballot, where current financial members of FDCA are eligible to place a single vote for the vacant position.
Voting will commence tomorrow (Thursday 3 September 2026) and conclude at 5.00pm (AEST) on Thursday 17 September 2026. FDCA members are advised to monitor their inbox tomorrow for an email bulletin that will contain instructions on how to vote.
We're excited to advise that the judging period of the 2026 Excellence in Family Day Care Awards is now well underway!
Regional Educator Award Winners are currently being selected by the Awards selection committee, with Star Award Winners and Educator, Coordinator and Service National Finalists to follow.
Regional Educator Award Winners will be announced on 29 September, followed by Star Award Winners on 8 October and National Finalists on 20 October. The Awards program will culminate with the announcement of our National Award Winners at the Awards Gala Dinner in Brisbane on 28 November.
Nomination Certificates
Being nominated in the Excellence in Family Day Care Awards is a wonderful recognition of the contribution our members make to children, families and communities across Australia.
Nomination certificates for the 2026 Awards have now been emailed to nominees, providing a digital certificate that can be downloaded, saved, printed and shared.
The Awards program is a central pillar of FDCA’s work in promoting and supporting the sector and one in which we invest significant resources. Substantive printing and postage costs associated with the distribution of thousands of nomination certificates nationally has necessitated a shift to digital certificates in 2026.
We encourage all nominees to celebrate their achievement by downloading and displaying their certificate or sharing it alongside their digital nomination badge with their family day care community and on social media. If for any reason you haven’t received your digital certificate, please contact us.
Congratulations again to all our 2026 Excellence in Family Day Care Awards nominees and thank you for the important contribution you make to family day care.
Regulation 102AAC - Risk assessment for the purposes of safe arrival of children policies and procedures, requires approved providers to ensure a risk assessment is conducted to identify and assess risks associated with children travelling between an education and care service and another education or early childhood service.
Failing to conduct and regularly review these risk assessments is a common compliance issue. Risk assessments must be conducted at least once every 12 months and as soon as practicable after becoming aware of any circumstance that may affect the safe arrival of children.
Key points to remember
Educators play an important role in identifying changes or risks that may affect the safe arrival of children and should communicate these with their service. Approved providers are responsible for ensuring required risk assessments are conducted and that appropriate policies and procedures are in place.
Additional Resources
As part of FDCA’s Rethinking Family Day Care series, we are sharing innovative models identified through the Australian Government-funded Family Day Care Capability Trial.
Some child care challenges cannot be solved by one organisation alone. Partnerships between family day care services, industry and community organisations create opportunities to attract educators, support workforce participation and improve access to education and care in regional communities.
This week’s story highlights how Excellence in Care, BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) and FDCA are working together to create sustainable family day care solutions for the Central Queensland communities of Dysart and Moranbah.
Click here to read the full story and consider – could a local partnership help solve child care challenges in your community?
The Australian Government Department of Education has visited more than 1,300 ECEC services since its national spot check program began in November 2025.
As part of this program, the authorised officers visited different service types, including family day care services across metropolitan, regional and remote communities across Australia.
These visits support services to learn more about meeting their legal obligations. They also help identify and address issues early.
During a visit, authorised officers may:
Officers will introduce themselves, show their authorised officer identification and provide any required forms.
Approved providers, service staff and educators should work together to ensure that:
These Commonwealth spot checks are separate from visits undertaken by state and territory regulatory authorities. If Department officers observe quality or safety concerns, these may be referred to the relevant regulatory authority.
Services and educators can read more on the Department’s spot checks webpage, or use Geccko to strengthen your understanding of Family Assistance Law.
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