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In 2024, the Productivity Commission reported that for every 100 early childhood education and care services approved under the National Quality Framework, 160 “serious incidents” were recorded.
The term “serious incidents,” as defined by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority, encompasses situations that pose potential risks to a child’s health and safety.
These incidents can involve various scenarios, such as physical injuries, severe allergic reactions, medical emergencies like seizures or asthma attacks, exposure to dangerous substances, or a child unexpectedly leaving the premises.
The commission’s findings for 2024-2025 revealed that nearly 8% of these serious incidents involved a violation of national standards, a significant increase from the 4.1% rate noted between 2019 and 2020.
By June 30 of the previous year, there were 18,018 early childhood education and childcare services approved under the NQF across the nation, marking an increase from the prior year.
However, the commission found that while the amount of services had risen, staff quality had declined.
In 2024, 75 per cent of staff had formal qualifications at Certificate III or higher levels, or at least three years of relevant experience.
That’s a significant drop from 82.1 per cent of staff with the same qualifications or experience in 2021.
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