These regulations, which come into force on 1 January 2025, amend the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 (the principal regulations).

The principal regulations require, for a licensed home-based education and care service (a service), that—

• 80% of persons providing education and care to children as part of the service (educators) hold particular qualifications (home-based service qualifications); and

• the remaining 20% enrol in a course offering a home-based service qualification (within 6 months of joining the service) and complete the qualification within specified times.

These regulations amend regulation 44 and Schedule 1A to require all educators to—

• have a home-based service qualification; or

• enrol in a course offering a home-based service qualification within 6 months of a joining a service (educators already working in a service must enrol in a course by 1 July 2025) and complete the qualification within specified times.

These regulations also—

• amend regulation 28 to require a service provider who operates a service to also maintain records of evidence of enrolment of educators in a course or courses offering a home-based service qualification; and

• amend regulation 62 to remove the restriction that a person who has primary responsibility for overseeing the education, and health and safety of the children for a service (the person responsible) must not act as a person responsible for more than 2 licensed early childhood services in any month.