8 April 2026

Supporting Healthy Environments – Hygiene Reminder

As we move into the cooler months, colds, flu and other contagious illnesses can begin to increase. Now is a timely opportunity to revisit and reinforce hygiene practices in the family day care environment. 

Family day care educators play a key role in maintaining healthy environments and minimising the spread of illness.  

Staying Healthy: Preventing infectious diseases in early childhood education and care services (6th edition) is a best-practice resource that provides simple and effective ways for family day care educators to help limit the spread of infectious diseases. 

Simple steps can make a big difference: 

• Encourage regular and thorough handwashing for children and adults – especially after toileting, before eating, and after wiping noses. 

• Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces daily (e.g. door handles, toys and tables). 

• Teach and model how to cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or elbow, followed by washing of hands. 

• Encourage families to keep children home if they are showing signs of illness. 

• Maintain up-to-date immunisation records and health information for enrolled children. 

Consistent hygiene practices are essential in helping protect children, families, and educators and support safe, healthy learning environments.  

For additional information, resources, fact sheets and printable posters, visit the Building a Healthy Australia website.  

Personal Device Use – Record Keeping Reminder

Recent changes to the Education and Care Services National Law strengthen how digital devices can be used in education and care settings, particularly in relation to capturing, storing and transmitting images of children.

In family day care, this means:

• Only service-supplied or service-authorised devices can be used to capture, store or transmit images of children.
• A device may be authorised by the approved provider for use in education and care, provided it is used only for education and care related purposes and is in line with service policies.
• Personal devices may only be used while working directly with children, where an appropriate authorisation is in place, or in limited permitted circumstances. However services are encouraged to use service-supplied or service authorised devices in the provision of education and care to children. 

Record keeping requirements

Where a personal device is authorised for use, a written record must be maintained by the approved provider. This record must include prescribed information, such as:

•  the name and role of the authorised person
•  the approved provider
• details of the device
•  the purpose of the authorisation
•  the period of the authorisation

Maintaining clear and accurate records supports compliance with the National Law and helps demonstrate that device use is appropriate and authorised.

Keeping information up to date

Accurate records also rely on up-to-date contact and device information.

• Educators should ensure any changes to their contact details, including phone numbers or devices used for work purposes, are provided to their service. Where applicable, this should also be updated with Family Day Care Australia for membership and insurance records.
• Services should ensure educator contact details are current across their systems, including PRODA, to support accurate reporting and communication.

Further information

For further guidance, refer to the information provided on device use on the ACECQA website.

While these requirements are set under national legislation, some jurisdictions may have additional or earlier legislative changes in place. Services and educators should refer to their regulatory authority for guidance relevant to their location.

Have Your Say: Early Childhood Education and Care Qualification Review

The Early Childhood Education and Care Qualification Review is now inviting family day care educators and services to have their say on what the future Certificate III and Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care courses should look like.

As part of the public consultation phase, draft training products are open for feedback – providing a key opportunity for the family day care sector to help shape qualifications so they better reflect the realities of practice.

This consultation is focused on improving training products, delivery and outcomes across the sector. Input from family day care services and educators is critical to ensure that future qualifications recognise the unique skills, knowledge and relationship-based care that underpin quality family day care.

There are several ways to provide feedback:

• Online surveys available on the Early Childhood Education and Care Qualification Review website
• In-person consultation workshops being held in most capital cities throughout March, April and May, and 
• Online Consultation Workshops scheduled for May. 

Feedback is open until Sunday 31 May 2026.

For more information, to complete the surveys or register for workshops, visit the Early Childhood Education and Care Qualification Review website.

Child Care Subsidy Period of Emergency Areas

The Department of Education has declared a Child Care Subsidy (CCS) period of emergency declared in Western Australia.

If you recently closed your service due to a period of emergency, the approved provider should contact the Australian Government Department of Education through the Provider Entry Point (PEP) or third-party software and also contact your state or territory regulatory authority.

The following support is available in affected regions during the CCS period of emergency:

• Continuation of CCS payments if the service closes as a direct result of the emergency.
• Allowance to waive the gap fee if a child doesn’t attend, or the service is closed, during the CCS period of emergency.
• Families are eligible to get unlimited allowable absences for the duration of the CCS period of emergency.

Note: a gap fee waiver is a type of provider discount. Approved providers must report the type and amount of prescribed discounts in session reports if they have been applied for the session.

Click here for more information about support during a CCS period of emergency.

Be You - Educator Wellbeing Resources

Be You is the national mental health and wellbeing initiative for learning communities in Australia.

Be You promotes mental health and wellbeing, from the early years to 18, and offers educators and learning communities evidence-based online professional learning, complemented by a range of tools and resources to turn learning into action.

A range of educator wellbeing resources are available via the Be You website, these include:

• The Be You educator wellbeing guide
• Fact sheets
• Planning tools
• Event recordings
• Videos

To access these great resources and much more, click here.