Information for early childhood service providers

This page has information on the qualification requirements for staff and ratios under the National Quality Framework for:

• long day care
• preschool or kindergarten
• family day care
• outside school hours care.

Early childhood teacher qualifications

If you run a long day care, preschool or 3-year-old kindergarten services you are required to have either access to, or have in attendance, an early childhood teacher (ECT).

If your staff already hold a qualification, check the ACECQA website to ensure it is an approved ECT qualification.

If it is not approved, but you believe that is equivalent to those listed, your staff may be eligible to have their qualification assessed as equivalent by ACECQA.

For more information about the ECT requirements, go to the ACECQA website.

General educator qualifications

If you are a centre-based service providing education and care to children of preschool age or under, you must ensure staff working directly with children meet the following qualification requirements:

• at least 50% of staff hold or are actively working towards an approved diploma or higher qualification
• all other educators either hold or are actively working towards an approved certificate III level qualification.

Qualifications in family day care

If you run family day care, all your educators must hold an approved certificate III level qualification.

All family day care coordinators must hold at least an approved diploma level qualification.

Qualifications in outside school hours care

If you run an outside school hours care facility at least 50% of your staff working directly with children must have or be working towards either:

• an approved qualification listed on the ACECQA website
• a 2 year accredited post secondary course in child care
• a post secondary sports and recreation or teaching qualification.

First aid qualifications

If you run an early childhood service, you must have staff on-site at all times with the following first aid qualifications:

• current approved first aid qualification
• approved anaphylaxis management training
• approved asthma management training.

For more information on approved qualifications, go to the ACECQA website.

Early childhood educator to child ratios

You must ensure the following educator to child ratios at all times:

• children from birth to 2 years of age – 1 educator to 4 children
• children over 2 to 3 years of age – 1 educator to 5 children
• children aged 3 to 4 years of age – 1 educator to 11 children
• children 5 years and over – 1 educator to 15 children.

If you provide a family day care service you need 1 educator to 7 children. This includes the educators’ own children if they are 13 years of age or under. No more than 4 children can be 4 years of age or under.

For more information on educator to child ratios, go to the ACECQA website.

Contact

You can contact Quality Education and Care NT by:

• calling 08 8999 3561
• emailing qualityecnt.det@nt.gov.au.

Further Information for providers and services can be found on the Department of Education website.