Busy Butterflies Family Day Care in Beaudesert, Queensland is using traineeships to help shape the next generation of family day care educators, combining formal study with hands-on experience to build practical skills, confidence and nationally recognised qualifications, all while earning an income.

As workforce shortages continue to challenge the early childhood education and care sector, innovative approaches like this are helping services strengthen educator supply and promote family day care as a professional, rewarding career path. National policy direction reinforces this shift, with the Productivity Commission identifying traineeships and apprenticeships as key earn-while-you-learn pathways that build capability and improve accessibility for those entering the profession.

Busy Butterflies has embraced this approach as part of its broader commitment to strengthening the sector's workforce. With over fifty educators providing standard and non-standard hours of care – including Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) – to more than 250 families across South East Queensland, the service has experienced first-hand how traineeships can cultivate skilled and confident educators.

Sharon, the approved provider and owner at Busy Butterflies, is a passionate advocate for showcasing family day care as a valued career pathway. Through her traineeship model, she is helping young people understand the professionalism and opportunities that family day care provides for children, families, communities and educators.

The idea began when Sharon’s son – who had grown up surrounded by family day care – expressed interest in becoming an educator. She worked with his school to explore options and pathways, ultimately establishing a school-based traineeship that allowed him to complete his senior studies while beginning his early childhood education qualification. The experience provided him with real-world learning and mentoring and was a decision that has since blossomed into a fulfilling career.

“I loved being able to do my traineeship with Lucinda – she used to be my educator when I was in family day care. She always asked, ‘What are you doing?’ and ‘What do you think the children would be learning?’ and that helped me understand children’s development and learning,” reflects James (trainee).

Soon after, a second trainee joined the program, undertaking her Certificate III at TAFE after leaving school. Both trainees have benefited from the service's strong mentoring culture and commitment to quality.

“Being able to work with the children daily, getting to know them and building relationships was the best part of my journey. Lucinda really challenged my thinking and reminded me that everything we do, children are watching,” shares Maddy (trainee).

To ensure quality and compliance, both trainees completed Busy Butterflies’ induction modules – including training in child protection, fire safety and food safety – and held current Working with Children Checks. Each also gained experience in the coordination office, learning about the administrative and regulatory side of family day care, and participated regularly in the service’s community playgroup, connecting with families and other educators.

Financial incentives available through Queensland’s traineeship framework helped offset trainee wages and administration costs, while the service’s partnership with a Registered Training Organisation familiar with family day care ensured assessments were meaningful and relevant.

Sharon notes that a key strength of the model is its intentional approach to mentorship.

“I have one educator that has taken on both trainees. She’s been in family day care for a long time. The advantage for the trainees is that she’s always asking questions like ‘why did you do it this way?’ and ‘what benefit is there for the children?’” explains Sharon.

“Being a mentor makes me a little nervous at first and feel privileged. Mentoring makes me reflect on my own practices and whether they’re worthy to share. I get a great feeling knowing I’ve shared my passion and knowledge, and they’ve had hands-on experience in our unique environment,” adds Lucinda (mentor educator).

The results have been inspiring. Sharon’s son has now completed his qualifications and opened his own family day care, providing families with much-needed care places for local families.

“The children absolutely adore him, which is great. Then in the school holidays, there's a different group of children so it’s really filling a need in the community,” says Sharon.

The second trainee now works in long day care but hopes to transition into family day care in the future – a journey that Sharon views as a success in itself. She sees the value in educators gaining experience across different settings, helping them understand the similarities and differences in each type of early learning and care so they can discover what best suits their skills and interests once qualified.

For Sharon, the traineeship is as much about building community awareness as it is about developing future educators.

“We just want them to think ‘Oh, what about Family Day? I did my work experience in family daycare – it was amazing’. Educators can then have awareness and enthusiasm for family day care and can share that information with others.” Sharon said.

Busy Butterflies’ traineeship model shows how locally driven, partnership-based approaches can inspire young people, strengthen the workforce, and ensure that family day care remains a vital and sustainable part of Australia’s early learning landscape.