September eBulletin

IN THIS EDITION - QUICK LINKS

• Advocacy in action: Read our July-Sept Advocacy Report Card
• Bringing our national voice together in Adelaide
• Early Childhood Educators' Day 2026
• Worker Retention Payment – Legislation Passed
• Early Years Dialogue - Keeping the conversation going
• Proudly Independent, Proudly Local gains momentum
• Closing Reflections

Dear all, 

With September marking the start of spring, the days are getting longer, the weather is beginning to warm up and there’s a welcome sense of a new season underway.

It’s certainly been another busy month across our sector, with plenty to reflect on – from the tremendous success of Early Childhood Educators’ Day to important sector developments, advocacy and ACA initiatives.

It’s my pleasure to share the latest President’s Report, to update you on ACA's activities and more from across the sector.

Advocacy in action: Read our July-Sept Advocacy Report Card 

 From championing the role of independent, community-focused providers through our Proudly Independent, Proudly Local campaign to advocating for sustainable funding, practical reform and stronger child safety systems, we have continued to advocate on your behalf at the highest levels of government.

Our latest ACA Political Advocacy Report Card highlights the key issues we have focused on, our engagement with political and government stakeholders, the submissions we have made and the media activity we have generated in the interests of our members between July and September 2026.

Read the full report card here to see how ACA has been working for you and ensuring the voice of our members is heard as governments make decisions shaping the future of early learning.

Bringing our national voice together in Adelaide

The ACA’s Executive Committee came together in Adelaide last week for two days of discussion and planning around the key issues, reforms and opportunities currently shaping Australia’s early childhood education and care sector. 

With significant reform continuing across ECEC, the meeting provided a valuable opportunity to bring together the perspectives of our State Bodies and ensure ACA continues to advocate strongly for our members, while keeping the needs of children and families at the heart of the national conversation. 

The meeting provided an important opportunity for representatives from across the country to consider our ongoing advocacy priorities, including our work on access to ECEC in regional, rural and remote communities, preparations for our 2027–28 Federal Pre-Budget Submission, and the potential role and structure of the proposed national ECEC Commission. 

The Executive also discussed the changing policy and funding landscape, including the Australian Government’s Service Delivery Price (SDP) project. With some services now being compelled by the government to provide data to support this work, ACA remains mindful of the additional demands being placed on providers and the importance of ensuring the information collected is used meaningfully. ACA will continue to advocate to ensure that the experiences and operating realities of our members are properly understood and reflected in future policy and funding decisions.

Early Childhood Educators’ Day 2026: Australia came together to celebrate our amazing early childhood educators

We were delighted to see so many service providers across Australia getting involved in Early Childhood Educators’ Day, coming together to celebrate and recognise the extraordinary contribution of our early childhood educators.

This year more than 9,000 early learning services registered their participation on our map of Australia. From metropolitan centres to regional and remote communities, the incredible response demonstrated just how widely the day is embraced and celebrated across the sector.

We’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to every service, educator, family and supporter who helped make Early Childhood Educators’ Day 2026 such a wonderful celebration. Together, you helped ensure our educators felt recognised, appreciated and celebrated for the incredible work they do every day. The future really does start with our educators!

Worker Retention Payment – Legislation Passed

This month brought another important milestone for the Worker Retention Payment (WRP), with legislation passing Parliament to support the extension of the program and the 15% wage increase for eligible early childhood educators and teachers through to 30 June 2028.

The legislation provides a further $3.6 billion for the program and strengthens the link between WRP funding and child safety requirements. You can read Minister Clare’s media release here.

ACA has strongly advocated for the continuation of the WRP and greater recognition and remuneration of Australia’s early childhood workforce. We are pleased to see this important investment given greater certainty.

While the legislation has now passed, the guidelines and application process for the extension period have not yet been published. ACA will continue to engage with the Australian Government and keep members updated as further information becomes available.

For service providers currently participating in the WRP, the 2025–26 WRP Annual Declaration remains an immediate priority and must be submitted by 9 October 2026. 

As a starting point, you may like to read our blog article here.

If you need assistance, ACA’s free WRP Support Service is available on 1300 856 379 or via wrp@childcarealliance.org.au.

ACA is also continuing to support providers participating in the Multi-Employer Agreement (MEA) as preparations for the next stage of bargaining progress.

If you would like ACA to formally represent your organisation in the upcoming bargaining process, you must formally appoint ACA as your bargaining representative. Participating providers are encouraged to complete this process as soon as possible.

We will continue to keep participating services updated directly as further information becomes available.

Keeping the conversation going!

In the latest Episode Three, ACA President Paul Mondo was joined by Goodstart Early Learning CEO Ros Baxter and Ticker News journalist Ahron Young for a thoughtful discussion about the cumulative impact of reform and the importance of keeping children’s needs at the heart of every decision.

You can watch Episode Three and previous episodes of Early Years Dialogue on Ticker News.

We hope you’ve been enjoying the series and finding the conversations valuable. There is plenty more to come, with future episodes exploring a range of important issues and perspectives from across our sector.

We’d also love our members to help shape future conversations. If there are particular topics you’d like us to explore, issues you’d like to see discussed or speakers you’d like to hear from, we warmly welcome your suggestions.

Proudly Independent, Proudly Local continues to gain momentum

Our Proudly Independent, Proudly Local campaign continues to build awareness of the important contribution that small and medium-sized independent providers make to Australia’s early childhood education and care sector and the communities they serve.

Since launching the campaign, ACA has distributed approximately 4,000 campaign kits to members across participating states, providing services with materials to help demonstrate their support and amplify the campaign locally. We have also taken the campaign directly to key decision-makers, with campaign materials sent to 55 politicians and senior government representatives, alongside ongoing engagement with sector stakeholders and media.

The campaign is also gaining broader visibility, with coverage across publications including Dynamic Business, Mi3, Inside Small Business, The Sector and the Early Learning Australia Guide. Members and providers have been sharing campaign materials through their own channels, while visits to the campaign website and downloads of campaign resources demonstrate growing engagement.

As we continue the campaign, our focus will be on building this momentum, sharing more stories from independent providers and ensuring that government, stakeholders and the wider community better understand the quality, diversity and local connection that independent providers bring to early learning communities across Australia.

You can also visit the Proudly Independent, Proudly Local campaign page to learn more.

Closing Reflections

As we reflect on another busy month, I am encouraged by the momentum we continue to build across our work on behalf of members - from the tremendous success of Early Childhood Educators’ Day and the growing reach of our Proudly Independent, Proudly Local campaign, to our ongoing advocacy on the Worker Retention Payment, Multi-Employer Agreement and broader sector reform.

Through our advocacy, engagement with government and stakeholders, and initiatives such as our Early Years Dialogue series, we remain focused on ensuring the experiences and perspectives of ACA members are heard and understood as our sector continues to evolve.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and engagement. Together, we will continue working to strengthen a high-quality, sustainable and safe early childhood education and care sector that supports children and families, values its workforce and recognises the important contribution of independent providers in communities across Australia.

Warm regards,