Am I eligible?

To be eligible* to take part in the Trial and receive the start-up funding, you must first be located within an identified priority regional area.

To view a list of identified priority regional areas, click here.

If you are located within an identified priority regional area and establish a new family day care business during the Trial period, you may be eligible to access start-up funding for your family day care business.

As part of the application process, your suitability to commence a family day care business will be assessed by FDCA. To become a family day care educator and commence your family day care business, you will need:

• A Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care (minimum)
• Appropriate clearance for working with children (see AIFS website for more information) Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check
• A First Aid and CPR Certificate
• Training in the emergency management of asthma and anaphylaxis
• FDCA Membership and Public Liability Insurance

Your service will also conduct an assessment of your residence to ensure it is suitable and has the necessary facilities to support and care for children.

Current family day care educators are not eligible for funding.

If you don’t have child care experience and would like to become a family day care educator and meet the eligibility criteria, you may be able to access start-up funding after establishing your family day care business.

Expectations of participants

To ensure the success of the Trial and participants, educators will be required to:

• Complete the registration process and be operating as a family day care educator for a minimum of three months prior to receiving funding support
• Submit invoices and documentation through your approved service to receive start-up funding payments
• Engage in compliance and reporting activities during the trial with FDCA
• Maintain compliance with Family Assistance Law and the National Quality Framework

To find out more about the Trial and becoming a family day care educator, select from the links below.

• About the Trial‍
• How do I get started?‍
• How will I be supported?‍
• How does the start-up funding work?‍
• What is family day care?
• ‍Why do educators love family day care?‍
• Earning potential for educators‍
• FAQs

_{‍*Only a limited amount of funding is available as part of the Trial. Please note, not all eligible applicants are guaranteed start-up funding.}