Childcare ratios and qualifications

When you drop your little one off at childcare, you want to know that they're getting the best care and attention during their time there. In order to make sure your children are well looked after, childcare services must comply with strict educator-to-child ratios to ensure there are enough educators to support the children at their service. 

Watch our video to find out more:

The National Quality Framework sets out specific ratio requirements based on the different types of childcare services as well as the age brackets of the children attending.

 According to the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA), the ‘set ratios are based on evidence about how quality education and care benefits children.'

Inclusion to the ratio

To be included in the educator-to-child ratio, educators must be working directly with the children in their care. For example, if an educator is on their lunch break and not actively supervising the children, they cannot be counted as part of the ratio.

When it comes to centre-based childcare services, like long day care centres, ratios are calculated across the whole service rather than on a room-by-room basis. Services that operate mixed age groups of children must ensure they meet the required educator-to-child ratios at all times. As the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) explains, ‘An educator who is caring for one age range of children can also be counted against another age range of children, as long as the ratio for each age range is maintained and adequate supervision is maintained at all times.' 

If you're struggling to work out the correct educator-to-child ratio for your centre-based service, ACECQA has developed an Educator-to-Child Ratio Calculator to help you figure out the minimum number of educators needed.

Educator-to-child ratios around Australia

When it comes to educator-to-child ratios, each state and territory has its own individual ratio requirements which are detailed in the table below:

Early childhood teacher requirements

Centre-based services that accommodate children who are preschool age or younger must have access to an early childhood teacher (ECT) in some capacity, whether they attend the centre as an employee or are externally engaged by the centre. The specific requirements are based on the number of children that attend the service. Individual state and territory requirements apply to these regulations.

However, if the main purpose of the centre-based service is to provide education and care to children over preschool age, ECT requirements don't apply. If you're trying to determine whether the ‘main purpose' of a service is to educate and care for children over preschool age, it can be helpful to consider the following factors:

• Are the majority of children enrolled or attending over preschool age? (EG. 60% is a persuasive factor, 70% would be more persuasive whereas 51% would be less so.)
• Does the service operate mostly or solely outside of school hours?
• Does the service advertise the provision of education and care for school-age children?

If you feel that the centre-based service's main purpose is to provide education and care to children of preschool age group or younger, then the following ECT requirements apply.

For centre-based services with less than 25 children

The service must have access to an ECT for at least 20% of the time the service is operating. The ECT can do this by using ‘information communication technology.' In line with regulation 152, a record must be kept of the time the ECT does and doesn't work directly with the children.

For centre-based services with 25 to 59 children

A full-time or full-time equivalent ECT must be in attendance at the service for:

• Six hours a day (when the service operates for 50+ hours per week), or
• 60% of the time (when the service operates for less than 50 hours a week).

Being ‘in attendance' means they must be physically present at the service and completing education and care activities including one or more of the following: 

• Working directly with children (included in educator-to-child ratios),
• Planning programs,
• Mentoring, coaching or supporting educators,
• Facilitating education and care research, or
• Performing the role of an educational leader.

Once again, under regulation 152, a record must be kept of the time the ECT is in attendance at the service. 

Centre-based services located in remote or very remote areas in the NT, SA, Tasmania and WA must meet regulation 132(1), and services located in remote or very remote areas in NSW must meet regulation 272(1A), for attendance of an early childhood teacher if the service has access to an early childhood teacher who works with the service at least 20% of the time (calculated quarterly).

The early childhood teacher may be working with the service through information technology. However, this transitional provision is scheduled to expire in NSW, the NT, SA, Tasmania and WA on 31 December 2023. 

For centre-based services with 60+ children

The service must have access or attendance from two ECTs or one ECT in addition to a ‘suitably qualified person'. Records of the time the ECT and ‘suitably qualified person' is accessed or in attendance at the service must be kept under regulation 152. 

For services with 60 or more children, a full-time or full-time equivalent ECT must be in attendance at the service for:

• Six hours a day (when the service operates for 50+ hours per week), or
• 60% of the time (when the service operates for less than 50 hours a week).

For services with 60-80 children, the second early childhood teacher or ‘suitably qualified person' must be in attendance for: 

• At least 3 hours a day on any given day (when the service operates for 50+ hours a week), or 
• 30% of the operating hours of the service on the day (when it operates for less than 50 hours a week).

As an alternative to these arrangements, a service can employ or engage a full-time or full-time equivalent early childhood teacher and a second equivalent early childhood teacher or ‘suitably qualified person' for half of the full-time or full-time equivalent hours at the service to meet the requirements. 

For centre-based services with 80+ children

For services with 80+ children, the second early childhood teacher or ‘suitably qualified person' must be in attendance for: 

• At least 6 hours a day on any given day (when the service operates for 50+ hours a week), or 
• 60% of the operating hours of the service on the day (when it operates for less than 50 hours a week).

Alternatively, services can employ or engage a full-time or full-time equivalent early childhood teacher and a second full-time or full-time equivalent early childhood teacher or ‘suitably qualified person' to meet the requirements. 

In order to comply with regulations 133(1) or 134(1) in NT, SA, Tasmania, and WA, as well as regulation 272 in NSW, centre-based services situated in remote or very remote areas must have an early childhood teacher present for at least 40% of their working hours. Alternatively, the service can meet the requirement by having access to an early childhood teacher for at least 20% of their working hours and a second early childhood teacher or qualified individual for another 20% of their working hours. 

This can be calculated quarterly and can be fulfilled through the use of information technology. This temporary provision is set to expire on December 31st, 2023, in NSW, NT, SA, Tasmania, and WA.

What is an early childhood teacher?

According to ACECQA, an early childhood teacher is someone who:

• Holds an approved early childhood teaching qualification that is published on ACECQA's approved qualifications lists. This includes current approved early childhood teacher qualifications and former approved early childhood teaching qualifications commenced before 1 January 2012,
• Holds a qualification that ACECQA has recognised to be an equivalent early childhood teacher qualification, or
• Holds an approved early childhood teaching qualification under regulation 241 and approved under former state and territory laws in place before the National Law. 

What is a ‘suitably qualified person'?

Based on ACECQA's guidelines, a ‘suitably qualified person' is someone who:

• Is ‘actively working towards' (see Regulation 10 of the National Regulations) an approved early childhood teaching qualification AND has completed at least 50% of the qualification or holds an approved early childhood education and care diploma, or
• Is registered (accredited in NSW) as a primary or secondary school teacher in Australia AND holds an ACECQA-approved early childhood education and care diploma (or higher approved qualification).

For more information on educator-to-child ratios, qualification requirements for educators and the National Quality Framework, please refer to the ACECQA website.

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