23 February 2026
An Early Childhood Education Summit held this weekend has endorsed a statement of demands to reform the sector, set out under ten key issues.
Comprised of a coalition of 4 nationwide education unions and more than 1,400 early childhood educators and teachers, the Summit is a response by frontline early childhood education staff to the perceived inadequacies of State and Federal government reforms to the early childhood education and care sector that has received so much outrage over the past year.
Frontline professionals have been raising concerns for years at the direction the sector was travelling in, and say that poorly-consulted legislative responses failed to address the systemic issues within the sector and instead could put children at increased risk of harm. The list of demands endorsed by the Summit calls on the government to address the structural factors and cost minimisation priorities that permeate the system that have created the conditions for abuse.
The Summit was attended by Greens NSW MP Abigail Boyd, and brought together teachers, educators, academics and representatives from the Australian Education Union (AEU), the Independent Education Union (IEU), the United Services Union (USU) and the United Workers Union (UWU). The Summit’s demands will be taken to Governments and used in campaigns to push for meaningful reform that will improve the safety and quality of early childhood services.
The Summit was held at the University of Sydney and online on Saturday 21 February 2026, and was led by Dr Red Ruby Scarlet and hosted by Professor Marianne Fenech.
Quotes attributable to Abigail Boyd MP, Greens NSW MLC and Chair of the Inquiry into the Early Childhood Education and Care Sector in NSW:
“I am deeply indebted to the early childhood professionals I have worked with and learnt from as we have worked together to shine a light on the deep flaws in our current approach to early childhood education and care. I am proud to have endorsed this evidence-based and deeply-consultative approach to reform developed by the people who understand the sector the best.
“The demand to end the corporatised model of early childhood education and care is not ideological, it’s grounded in the lived working experience of thousands of frontline early childhood professionals who have seen for themselves how the profit motive corrodes quality and safety for the young people in their care.
“Last year, the NSW Government passed legislation without consulting with any worker or their representatives. Summit participants universally said they do not believe those reforms will keep children safer. If the State and Federal Government are serious about children’s safety, then they will listen to the clear and unbiased demands of the workers who know best.
“The media spotlight was a vital step towards rescuing a sector in crisis, but the work of reform has barely begun. I look forward to supporting this coalition of experts in their own field in crafting an early childhood education and care sector that is safe, high quality and sustainable for children, families and workers.”
Early Childhood Education Summit Demands (agreed 21 February 2026)
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Issue |
Demands |
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1 |
Children’s safety is compromised by corporate providers and private equity firms |
· Cease government funding for corporate and private equity providers |
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2 |
Children’s safety is compromised by weaknesses in the National Quality Framework |
· Appropriately resource regulatory authorities so quality ratings are reliable · Reform the National Quality Framework · Legislate stricter licensing approvals |
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3 |
Children’s safety is compromised by weak child to educator ratios |
· Improve child-to-educator ratios · Legislate group sizes in the National Quality Framework · Introduce space limitations (for ratios and group sizes) |
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4 |
Children’s safety is compromised by inadequate inclusion support funding and inclusion workforce funding and models |
· Appropriately fund inclusion support programs and staffing |
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5 |
Children’s safety is compromised by an inadequately prepared workforce |
· Raise the quality of early childhood teacher and educator preparation programs |
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6 |
Children’s safety is compromised by low wages and poor working conditions |
· Secure pay parity for all early childhood teachers with teachers in government schools · Bring about professional wages for educators commensurate with the responsibilities and expertise required · Strengthen working conditions to better support educator wellbeing and retention |
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7 |
Children’s safety is compromised by limited access to quality professional development |
· Provide a federally-funded coordinated approach to professional development |
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8 |
Children’s safety is compromised by limited workforce diversity |
· Support diversity and difference in the workforce |
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9 |
Children’s safety is compromised by the absence of an independent authority to oversee sector planning that supports quality |
· Establish an independent national Early Childhood Education Commission · Enforce public reporting of financial data |
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10 |
Children’s safety is compromised by parents being treated as consumers, not allies |
· Build parents’ understanding of the importance of the early years so they advocate for quality early childhood education that keeps children safe |