Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Regulation and Compliance
The 黑料社 Early Learning Commission commenced operations on 1 December 2025 as the new independent regulator for early childhood education and care (ECEC) in New South Wales. It is now responsible for regulating all ECEC services across the state, including long day care, preschools and before and after school care.
The 黑料社 Early Learning Commission has been established following the led by former 黑料社 Deputy Ombudsman Chris Wheeler, which recommended creating a regulatory authority independent from the 黑料社 Department of Education.
The Early Learning Commission now oversees the assessment of applications for provider and service approvals, evaluates and rates the quality of services against the National Quality Standard, and enforces compliance with the National Law and Regulations in 黑料社.
The Early Learning Commission will also continue to implement the 黑料社-specific and national reforms to strengthen child safety in ECEC.
For more information, visit .
Child Safety Reform
New child safety reforms are being progressively introduced across New South Wales to strengthen the protection, wellbeing and rights of children in education and care settings. The reforms, under the , include more than 30 changes that enhance transparency, accountability and child-safe practices across the sector.
For educators and providers, these reforms reinforce the principle that the safety and best interests of children must be paramount. They introduce strengthened requirements for child-safe recruitment, staff training, safe environments, record keeping, and the prevention of inappropriate conduct, alongside tighter regulatory oversight and enforcement powers.
Services are expected to embed child safety in everyday practice, ensuring all staff understand their responsibilities and contribute to a culture where children are safe, respected and supported.
More information can be found on the 黑料社 Early Learning Commission website - .
Education Amendment Regulation (黑料社) 2024
On 1 March 2024, the 黑料社 Government published the .
This regulation:
- amends the Education Regulation 2017 to clarify the circumstances when a non-government school providing certain education and care services does not operate for profit (as per section 83C of the 黑料社 Education Act)
- explicitly recognises certain education and care programs:
- long daycare
- out of school hours care
- preschool programs
- affirms the existing section 83C requirements, including reasonable market value.
The Regulation is linked to revised .
It provides guidance on how non-government schools may wish to use school assets and/or private income to provide an education and care program where such programs are designed to invest in:
- the learners of the school, or
- 鈥榝uture learners鈥 who are 鈥榣ikely鈥 to attend the school.
More information can be found on the NESA website.
Australian Children鈥檚 Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA)
The Australian Children鈥檚 Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA), through the National Quality Framework (NQF), quality assures early childhood education in prior-to-school services.
The (NQF) provides a national approach to regulation, assessment, and quality improvement for early childhood education and care and outside school hours care services across Australia.
The NQF includes:
- .
The is a national curriculum framework that ensures quality and consistency in the delivery of early childhood education programs across all early childhood settings.
It covers birth to 5 years and supports the transition to formal schooling.
National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) 鈥 The Early Childhood Approach
The NDIS is for families and carers.
- The early childhood approach is how NDIS supports children younger than 9 and their families.
- The approach helps children younger than 6 with developmental delay or children younger than 9 with disability and their families to access the right support when they need it.
- Children younger than 6 don鈥檛 need a diagnosis to get support through the early childhood approach where there are concerns about their development.
Find out more on .