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As members are aware from previous communications, one of the measures announced in the 2024-25 Federal Budget was the requirement for all family day care providers to directly collect Child Care Subsidy (CCS) gap fees centrally. The measure is designed to systemically strengthen CCS administration, while also freeing educators from the administrative burden of collecting gap fees from families.
The measure was initially scheduled to be introduced mid 2025. However, following consultations undertaken with members, FDCA provided targeted feedback to the Department of Education on an exposure draft of the proposed legislation. As part of this process, FDCA advocated for the commencement date to be delayed by at least 6 months to allow providers additional time to implement any necessary administrative changes and ensure a smoother transition. FDCA can today confirm that the Australian Government has listened to the sector.
The commencement date of the Direct Gap Fee Collection (DGFC) measure has now changed from 1 July 2025 to 1 January 2026, subject to the passage of legislation.
FDCA can also confirm that the collection of CCS gap fees via third-party payment portals and third-party management companies is acceptable under these changes.
To find out more, please click here to view a copy of the bulletin that was sent to FDCA service members today.
Time is running out for you to submit an abstract for the FDCA 2025 National Conference!
This is a rare opportunity to join some of Australia's leading minds in the early childhood education and care industry and share your knowledge, expertise and insights at the premier event on the family day care calendar.
If you're lucky enough to be selected, not only will you join an all-star cast, but you will also receive a free ticket* to the conference, it's a win-win!
Don't miss out on this opportunity! Click here to submit your abstract.
New 8-month payment plan now available
Don’t forget that a new 8-month payment plan is exclusively available to FDCA members, meaning that you can secure your ticket now and pay via eight convenient monthly instalments.
With limited tickets available for the FDCA 2025 National Conference, payment plans are a popular way for members to secure their ticket in advance to ensure they don’t miss out on their conference ticket.
To access the 8-month payment plan, click here.
FDCA's Mission is to REPRESENT, SUPPORT and PROMOTE the family day care sector in delivering high quality early childhood education and care to more Australian children.
So, what is FDCA doing for members in this coming year to achieve our Mission?
Yesterday we shared a bulletin, which was the first instalment in a three-part series of bulletins outlining initiatives, projects and resources that support the delivery of FDCA’s Mission. The bulletin shared a snapshot of just some of the work and initiatives we have in the pipeline for supporting you in 2025.
To find out how FDCA is supporting members in 2025, click here.
It is well established in the research that UV exposure during childhood has a big impact on skin cancer risk later in life – and it's almost entirely preventable with good UV protection. Under Quality Area 2 of the National Quality Standard (NQS): Children's health and safety, services are encouraged to reflect on how sun protection and sun safety is embedded in their policies, practices and procedures.
With summer now in full swing, it’s a good time to reflect on how you, as an educator:
In ACECQA’s latest We Hear You blog, the Cancer Council shares the following best practice sun smart tips and strategies:
Visit your state or territory’s SunSmart site to learn more about best practice recommendations.
With 2025 up and running we want to help you kick-start the new year!
Over the coming weeks we will be showcasing exclusive member-only resources that can support you in achieving your professional goals for 2025!
In today’s edition of FDCM we’re focusing on your professional development with the FDCA Learning Hub.
Did you know that as an FDCA member you are able to access more than 45 professional learning modules via the FDCA Learning Hub at no additional cost!
Through our partnership with Early Childhood Australia, one of Australia’s most respected early childhood professional development organisations, FDCA members can access the FDCA Learning Hub via their FDCA Member Zone at any time.
Some of the most popular modules on the FDCA Learning Hub include:
Accessing the FDCA Learning Hub
As an FDCA member, simply log into your FDCA Member Zone and navigate to the “Learning Hub” subheading, where you’ll be taken to the FDCA Learning Hub home page to access your free professional learning modules.
You can also view a short instructional video on how to access the FDCA Learning Hub here.
The Family Day Care Brains Trust is back for 2025! The idea of the Family Day Care Brains Trust is to share knowledge and ideas and provide support.
We’ll put forward a scenario on the FDCA Facebook page, based on real-life queries we’ve received. Share what you would do or any tips you have in the comments below the post. We’ll collate all your comments and then share them with our community.
To celebrate the first Brains Trust for 2025, one lucky commenter will win a $50 Mastercard gift card! Simply comment with your responses to the scenario by 7.00pm (AEDT) Sunday 26th January 2025 to go in the draw.
The scenario:
Renu has two children starting school in the next week. She’s not had any issues filling spots in the past so hasn’t paid much attention to promoting her business, but this year she doesn’t seem to be getting any inquiries. What advice would you have for Renu regarding the marketing and advertising of her family day care business?
Visit the FDCA Facebook page to respond to the scenario.
Get Early Childhood Compliance Knowledge Online, or Geccko, is the online learning platform for the early childhood education and care sector created by the federal Department of Education.
Geccko is designed to help you comply with your obligations under Family Assistance Law (FAL), that sets the rules for administering Child Care Subsidy.
On Geccko, you can:
Geccko courses have been designed to be suitable for all staff across all approved care types, including family day care.
To access the free courses, you must first register for Geccko. You can register for Geccko here.
Courses vary between 10-20 minutes in length, so are easy to fit into your busy day.
Current courses available are:
The FDCA office will be closed this coming Monday, 27th January 2025 for the Australia Day Public Holiday. The office will reopen at 9.00am AEDT on Tuesday 28 January 2025.
If you need to make an emergency claim details of how to do this are located on the FDCA website.
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