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Early Childhood Education and Care Regulation and Policy Environment

Discover more about the Early Childhood Education and Care regulation and policy environment in NSW.
Teaching and Learning
A teacher reading a picture book to young students.

Education Amendment Regulation (NSW) 2024

On 1 March 2024, the NSW Government published the Education Amendment (Non-Government Schools Assets and Income) Regulation 2024.

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 NSW 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 Not-For-Profit Guidelines for Non-Government Schools.

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
  • ‘future learners’ who are ‘likely’ to attend the school.

More information can be found on the NSW Department of Education website.

Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA)

The Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA), through the National Quality Framework (NQF), quality assures early childhood education in prior-to-school services.

The National Quality Framework (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 Early Years Learning Framework 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) – 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’t need a diagnosis to get support through the early childhood approach where there are concerns about their development.

Find out more on the NDIS website.

Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Regulation and Compliance

The NSW Department of Education is the Regulatory Authority for the Early Childhood Education and Care sector in NSW.

Find out more about early childhood education and care regulation requirements on the NSW Department of Education website