- Early childhood teachers working in regulated long day care centres and kindergartens will require mandatory teacher registration under changes to boost safety of children.
- Reform part of broader suite of child protection reforms being delivered by the Crisafulli Government, strengthened safeguards and uplift of profession status of early childhood teachers.
- The Crisafulli Government is making Queensland children safer after a decade of decline under Labor.
The Crisafulli Government will require all early childhood teachers to be registered under the Queensland College of Teachers, as part of a plan to boost the safety of children in early childhood education.
The change will apply to more than 2,300 kindergartens, long day care centres and preschools across Queensland, and bring early childhood teachers in line with school teachers.
The change means all teachers will be professionally registered through the Queensland College of Teachers, creating accountability, better reporting of issues regarding the safety of children or the competency of the teacher, and uplifting the professional status of early childhood teachers.
By requiring early childhood teachers to have the appropriate qualifications and registration, the change provides an extra safeguard for the protection of children, adding to the major reforms outlined in the Government’s response to the landmark In Plain Sight report.
It’s just one of the ways the Crisafulli Government is bolstering child safety in early childhood services, strenthening protections and preventing potential risks before they occur, after a decade of decline under Labor.
Mandatory teacher registration was also a key recommendation of the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority’s review of child safety arrangements under the National Quality Framework.
The Crisafulli Government has introduced an amendment to the Parliament, which will allow early childhood teachers to apply for teacher registration immediately with the expanded range of eligible qualifications.
Mandatory registration requirements, employing authority obligations, and penalties would commence on 1 July 2028.
Minister for Education and the Arts John-Paul Langbroek said mandatory registration of teachers was another key step in the Crisafulli Government’s plan to make Queensland children safer.
“There is no greater responsibility than making Queensland children safer,” Minister Langbroek said.
“Families should be able to trust that early childhood teachers meet rigorous professional standards here in Queensland, and by requiring early childhood teachers working in regulated long day care and kindergarten settings to be registered, we are boosting the safety of children.
“Where a person is employed as an early childhood teacher under the National Quality Framework, families should know they have undergone the suitability and eligibility checks required of registered teachers, just as in schools.
“Early childhood teachers play an incredibly important role in children’s development and learning, and these reforms will uplift the status of all early childhood teachers as part of Queensland’s teaching profession. “Already the majority of early childhood teachers are registered, but from 1st July 2028 it will become mandatory and registration will be recorded on the Queensland College of Teachers’ existing register. “After a decade of decline under Labor, the Crisafulli Government is delivering a plan to make Queensland children safer, including the introduction of Child Safe Standards, the Reportable Conduct Scheme, and funding National Child Safety Training courses.”
