How does the start-up funding work?

As part of the Trial, educator start-up funding is available for a limited number of eligible new family day care educators in identified priority regional areas* of limited ECEC supply across Australia.

The start-up funding can be accessed by eligible applicants to support a wide variety of expenses incurred during the setup of their family day care business. This may include home safety and compliance upgrades to meet regulatory requirements, educational resources to support children’s development and business setup costs to ensure a smooth and compliant start.

Examples of these include (but are not limited to):

• Child safety equipment (e.g. safety gates, fire extinguishers etc.)
• Home modifications to meet safety standards (e.g. glass safety, fencing modifications etc.)
• Educational resources (e.g. books, toys, and learning materials)
• Car restraints

When can I access start-up funding?

New family day care educators will be able to access start-up funding three months from the date that they have been placed with a participating approved family day care service.

To access start-up funding, new educators will be able to submit an expense claim through their service. Once an expense claim is approved, educators will be reimbursed.

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

• ‍About the Trial‍
• Am I eligible?‍
• How do I get started?‍
• How will I be supported?‍
• What is 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.}