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Workforce strategies

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​​​​ Queensland Early Childhood Workforce Strategy 2025–28

The Queensland Early Childhood Workforce Strategy sets the strategic direction for the early childhood workforce and focuses on growing and retaining a high-quality workforce, strengthening support systems, and modernising workforce approaches.

Our vision is one of a sustainable, qualified early childhood workforce who are recognised for their contribution to improving outcomes for children.

Queensland's workforce initiatives​

The strategy features a range of intermediate actions and long-term commitments to continue to build on the capability of the early childhood sector and ensure the workforce is empowered, engaged and supported to deliver inclusive, quality early learning programs and services.

The comprehensive suite of initiatives supports the early childhood sector's diverse needs and settings that include family day care, outside school hours care, sessional kindergartens and long day care providers.

New workforce initiatives

Positive Behaviour Guidance Program

The Department of Education is partnering with the early childhood sector to fund the rollout of a new Positive Behaviour Guidance Program (PBGP).

Funding will support long day care, family day care, kindergartens and outside school hours care services to employ specialist positive behaviour guidance coaches to deliver intensive, face-to-face, training and support within selected services. The coaches will guide and provide educators with practical tools that promote positive interactions with children that are respectful, responsive, nurturing and secure.

Coaches will also increase the capability and capacity of our workforce to better support children with disabilities, learning and development conditions or experiencing trauma. Educators will receive real-time mentoring and support from coaches to ensure children are guided in regulating their behaviour, responding appropriately and learning skills to resolve conflicts with their peers.

The Department of Education is currently finalising contracts with organisations to deliver the PBGP to the sector.

Leadership and Management Program

The Leadership and Management Program (LAMP) is a new program aimed at supporting educators at all stages of their early childhood career—beginning, intermediate and experienced early childhood professionals.

Through LAMP, early childhood professionals will learn effective, evidence-based strategies for leading and managing services, understand ways to empower other educators, promote positive workplace culture and drive continuous improvement at their local service.

Designed to complement and enhance existing professional development programs already offered by employers, LAMP provides clear career pathways for the workforce and supports succession planning to sustainably grow our sector.

The Department of Education is currently finalising contracts with organisations to deliver the LAMP​ to the sector.

Reforming Early Childhood Safety Program

The Reforming Early Childhood Safety (RECS) Program is an education and training program to be rolled out in 2025– 26 on the national child safety reforms.

The national child safety reforms are a suite of regulatory and early childhood practice changes developed in response to the 2024 child safety review conducted by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA).

Early childhood professionals working in Queensland regulated early childhood services will have access to the RECS program.

The RECS program will focus on:

  • increasing the sector’s knowledge and awareness of the national child safety reforms and related Queensland child safety laws and standards (e.g. Queensland Child Safe Standards and Child Safe Organisations Act 2024)
  • supporting the sector implement the reforms by developing a suite of practical and tailored resources for the early childhood sector.

New 2025 round of Early Childhood Practicum Placement Grants

The 2025 round of Early Childhood Practicum Placement Grants (ECPPG) opens on 15 August 2025. For more information, please visit the ECPPG page.

Wellbeing workshops in Darling Downs South West region pilot

Beyond Blue (Be You) in partnership with Early Childhood Australia are offering a series of workshops in the Darling Downs South West region to provide educators with knowledge, tools and resources to build mental health and wellbeing of early childhood educators.

Existing workforce initiatives

  • Qualifications Pathways Program
  • Early Childhood Planning Day Subsidy
  • Early childhood guidance program pilot
  • Early childhood through RATEP—community-based teacher education
  • Rural and remote residential program

Learn about other incentives and subsidies to unlock your career in early childhood.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators, children, and families are a key focus of the Queensland Early Childhood Workforce Strategy, which aims to embed First Nations Early Childhood professionals' perspectives and outcomes across priority areas.

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The strategy builds upon Queensland Government’s Good people. Good jobs: Queensland Workforce Strategy 2022–2032, which provides a range of workforce related support for employers.

Early childhood recruitment campaign

The Early Childhood recruitment campaign—Shape the future promotes early childhood as a professional career with plenty of opportunities to grow and excel.

The statewide campaign aims to attract school leavers and career changers to the profession by promoting flexible pathways and rewarding teacher/educator and child interactions. The campaign also targets those already in the early childhood workforce, to use supports available to upskill and grow their own future in the profession.

The campaign features authentic teacher and educator talent from across the sector.

National Children’s Education and Care Workforce Strategy

The National Children's Education and Care Workforce Strategy (2022–31) supports the recruitment, retention, sustainability and quality of the sector workforce.

Facilitated by ACECQA, national sector stakeholders and all Australian governments have co-designed 'Shaping Our Future', a 10-year workforce strategy to help ensure a sustainable, high-quality children's education and care workforce.

The implementation and evaluation plan to support and guide efforts to achieve the objectives of the National Workforce Strategy—Shaping Our Future—supports and complements areas of action and commitments outlined in other national strategies, including those which support the Closing the Gap Agreement such as the national Early Childhood Care and Development Policy Partnership.

Information on the implementation of the Shaping Our Future is available on the strategy’s dashboard, which tracks progress against the 21 nationally agreed actions and includes information on additional complementary initiatives that are being undertaken.

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Last updated 08 July 2025