8 July 2026

All Nominations Are In!

Nominations for the 2026Excellence in Family Day Care Awards have now closed, with all nominees now listed on the FDCA website.

More than 4,200 nominations have been received this year across the educator, coordinator and service categories, highlighting the extraordinary dedication of these nominees who deliver high-quality, personalised early childhood education and care to children and families in communities across Australia.

You can view all the nominees for 2026 by clicking here.

What's Next?

With the nomination period wrapped up, FDCA members that have been nominated have until Sunday 19 July 2026 to place a supporting submission.

From there, nominations and submissions will be reviewed, with Regional Educator Award winners to be announced on 29September 2026.

A comprehensive overview about the Awards judging and selection process can be viewed here.

If you see your name on the nomination list, but haven't received a nomination notification email from FDCA, please contact marketing@fdca.com.au.

Managing Changes to Fees and Fee Collection

If your service is making changes to its fee schedule or the way gap fee payments are collected, there are several important steps to ensure families are informed and Child Care Subsidy (CCS) records remain accurate.

Step 1: Notify Families
Approved providers must give families at least 14 days’ notice before changes to fees or fee collection arrangements take effect. Educators should also be aware of upcoming changes so they can provide consistent information to families and refer any questions back to their service.

Step 2: Review your Complying Written Arrangements (CWAs)
When a fee schedule is updated, services must also ensure that each child’s care arrangement is reviewed and updated as needed. The most common arrangement type is the Complying Written Arrangement (CWA).

Each CWA must include:

• The names and contact details of the approved provider and person claiming CCS.
• The child's name and date of birth.
• The date the arrangement was entered into.
• Whether care will be provided on a routine basis, and if so:
  
  • The usual days care will be provided.
  • The usual start and end times for the session of care.

• Whether care maybe provided on a casual or flexible basis, either in addition to or instead of routine care.
• Details about fees proposed to be charged for care provided under the arrangement. This may reference a fee schedule or published fee information that may be available on the service’s website etc.

Step 3: Notify the Department
When a care arrangement is updated, approved providers must notify the Australian Government Department of Education of any change to the care arrangement within seven days, either through the Provider Entry Point (PEP) or via their third-party software provider.

Further information on enrolments and notification requirements can be found on the Australian Department of Education website.

Childhood Immunisation Toolkit

The National Immunisation Program (NIP) provides free vaccines to protect infants and children against serious diseases at scheduled times from birth to age 4.  

The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (the Department) has launched a national campaign to support parents and carers in their decisions to vaccinate their children.  

The campaign, ‘One more way you keep them safe,’ highlights the importance of vaccinating children according to the NIP schedule, emphasising that vaccination is just one more of the many things parents and carers can do to keep their children safe.  

If you would like to share the toolkit with your families, it can be found here. 

Geccko Online Learning: First Nations Cultural Awareness

The Australian Government Department of Education’s ‘First Nations Cultural Awareness’ course is available through their online learning platform, Geccko.

This course is specifically designed for those working in the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector.

It will help you:

• learn about the impact of colonisation on the First Peoples of Australia.
• hear about the experiences of First Nations Australians in our community and ECEC settings.
• discover some actions that can be taken in ECEC to support First Nations children, families, staff and communities.

All Geccko courses are self-paced and are accessible via tablet, computer, laptop or mobile phone. On completion, you can download a certificate for your professional development records.

To access this course or to find out more about other free online courses provided by Geccko, you can register here.