Image Credit: Markus Spiske
Early childhood education and care (ECEC) providers can now apply for a Professional Development Subsidy to support qualified staff in completing training that enhances their skills and strengthens the sector.
What’s included:
The subsidy covers 1 day (up to 7.5 hours) of training per eligible staff member. It is paid directly to approved services and must be used to:
Supplement the cost of backfilling while staff attend training, or
Provide supplement for training completed outside of regular work hours
The subsidy is a flat daily rate, based on current award rates and includes a 25% casual loading. For example, in 2025-26:
Early Childhood Teacher: $429.83
Early Childhood Educator: $272.72
Centre Manager: $401.72
This initiative aims to:
Build capacity and skills in the early childhood workforce
Help services maintain educator-to-child ratios during staff training
Eligibility:
To apply, providers must:
Be approved for and receiving the Child Care Subsidy (CCS)
Employ staff who have worked at least 40 hours in the past 3 months
Ensure staff are part of the educator-to-child ratio and meet residency or visa requirments
Not be receiving other funding for the same training activity
Eligible training includes both mandatory (e.g. first aid, child protection) and highly recommended (e.g. cultural competency, leadership) programs.