ACTION 5 – ECEC
This forms part of the Central Highlands Workforce Development and Accommodation Strategy.
CHDC to engage with and develop business case to expand the Childcare Leadership Alliance (CLA) into the Central Highlands region with focus on Blackwater as the first priority area.
CLA to be formally invited to address the WAC at its first meeting in June 2024.
The WAC with the CLA would be utilised to investigate whether additional centres are needed, where and how they should be developed.
◼ TIMEFRAME: CLA discussions to commence by 1 June 2024. Business Case to be finalised by 1 September 2024.
2026 STATUS UPDATE: The initial research and business case phase was successfully activated through Round 3 of the Queensland Government’s Grow Your Own (GYO) Regional Workforce Program. Following a successful Expression of Interest (EOI), CHDC is currently in the Active Application Phase for the Workforce Connect Fund (WCF). This next stage of funding is intended to transition the project from strategic planning to a multi-pronged approach across workforce development to assist stabilise the sector.
PROGRESS REPORT
2024
A meeting with Astute, CLA’s Executive Management, took place on May, 2024 to begin conversations around collaborative opportunities for the Central Highlands region.
Astute invited to attend the July WAC meeting.
The third WAC was held on Thursday, 18 July 2024, with guest speaker Mel Comerford from Astute Early Learning discussing the Childcare Leadership Alliance and the recruitment strategy they implemented for Moranbah and Dysart. Several childcare centres from within the region were also in attendance. The presentation and strategies were well received from WAC members and attendees from the childcare industry in region.
9 August, 2024: CLA provide CHDC with Phase 1 – Assessment & Analysis with a primary focus on childhood education and care in Blackwater and Emerald. Phase 1 is intended to be implemented as the first of four phases of work including:
12 August, 2024: CHDC submitted an application for funding under the GYO (Grow Your Own) Regional Workforce Program Round 3 to kick start Action 5 of the WDAS—Childcare Leadership Alliance in the Central Highlands.
18 September, 2024: CHDC secured funding under the Grow Your Own (GYO) Regional Workforce Program Round 3, administered by Jobs Queensland through DESBT. The funding will support Phase 1 of the Childcare Leadership Alliance in the Central Highlands, which supports the primary focus on childhood education and care in Blackwater and Emerald.
25 November, 2024: CHDC, CLA, Infinitum, and regional ECEC stakeholders met to discuss the successful GYO funding and next steps in the project.
2025
8 January, 2025: Three-month project report summitted to Jobs Queensland.
January 2025: CHDC, CLA, Infinitum, and Jobs Queensland came together to discuss the Enhancing Early Childhood Education and Care (EECEC) project progress. A page dedicated to the EECEC was created on the CHDC page and continues to be regularly updated. See EECEC page.
28 January, 2025: Contact with all RTOs delivering Cert III in Early Childhood Education and Care across Australia begins so the landscape of registered training organisations offering ECEC qualifications in the Central Highlands is transparent to project stakeholders. Feedback was obtained and a gap analysis will be conducted.
6 February, 2025: CLA arrives in the Central Highlands to begin on-the-ground engagement with Blackwater educators.
10 February, 2025: CLA arrives in Emerald to begin engagement with educators.
February, 2025: Additional information on the EECEC project can be found here.
March 25: CHDC, in partnership with Astute Early Years Specialists and Infinitum Consulting, co-designed and released a regional childcare survey in March 2024. The survey was open until 11 April and will help guide local community engagement through the Childcare Chats.
April 4, 2025: a CHDC-designed ad promoting our local childcare survey appeared on the front page of Emerald Today on April 5, 2025. The campaign also includes advertising across LinkedIn, Facebook, and Google Ads to encourage community input.
April 11, 2025: the Community childcare survey officially closed with 243 responses collected from across Blackwater and Emerald. Data analysis underway to identify trends, barriers, and opportunities.
April 30, 2025: Winners of the community survey prize draw selected. Participants from Blackwater and Emerald each received a $100 dining voucher, as part of the community thank you.
April 30, 2025 May 1, 2025: Childcare Chats community sessions confirmed for:
- Blackwater – Saturday, 7 June at Dempsey Park
- Emerald – Sunday, 8 June at Centenary Park
These events include free face painting, BBQs, kids’ activities, and cookies. They are designed to promote real conversations with families and educators about childcare access, challenges, and ideas for improvement.
1 May 2025: CHDC began promoting the Childcare Chats campaign using newly developed marketing assets. Event details were published on CHDC’s website via the Events pages, the EECEC project and WDAS Action 5 landing pages.
7–8 June 2025: Childcare Chats held in Blackwater and Emerald
CHDC hosted two successful Childcare Chats as part of Action 5 – Childcare Leadership Alliance. These informal community sessions brought together local families and educators to share insights on childcare needs, access, and the challenges they face. Feedback gathered will inform the next phase of the EECEC project.
July 2025: Free Webinar Series Supporting ECEC Workforce
As part of the EECEC project, CHDC launched a four-part webinar series throughout July 2025 to support early childhood education and care services in growing their workforce and improving staff utilisation. Delivered by Astute Early Years Specialists, the sessions attracted strong registrations and covered key topics including strategic rostering, sustainable staffing, and building future-ready workforce models. Recordings will be shared with all registered participants.
Click the following link to view the recordings: Childcare Leadership Alliance
June 2025: Workforce Planning Connect, and free workforce tools along with access to Industry Workforce Advisors from CheckUP Australia were jointly marketed with Jobs Queensland and CHDC to the Early Childhood Education and Care industry in region to build awareness of the additional resources available to the sector from government initiatives.
For further information view the Free Workforce Tools flyer here: Workforce Planning Tools – CheckUp Central Highlands
14 July 2025: The Workforce Accommodation Collective (WAC) reconvenedin Emerald, and was held jointly with the Central Highlands Regional Roundtable (CHRR). The session included a WDAS update, and a deeper dive into the early childhood workforce project.
August 2025: CHDC raised the concept of a regional pathway for educators to complete the TAE qualification, enabling them to become trainers and assessors and helping address gaps in local training delivery. DTET is progressing internal discussions on this concept and will provide further advice.
28 August 2025: Centre Leaders & Representatives, with the EECEC project with Jobs Queensland coming to conclusion, CHDC provided shared draft findings and recommendations with Centre Leaders and Representatives in Emerald and Blackwater.
9 September 2025: CHDC and Infinitum Partners provided shared draft findings and recommendations from the EECEC project with the Department of Education.
31 October 2025: CHDC submitted a competitive EOI for the Workforce Connect Fund (WCF) Round 3 to expand regional ECEC initiatives. This initial stage focused on aligning the project’s digital and workforce goals with the fund’s specific criteria.
Strategic Board Reporting. A summary of the WCF EOI project was prepared for the upcoming board report.
December 2025: Findings and recommendations from the EECEC project were released to stakeholders and the public. This included a full media release and a summary document detailing the roadmap for regional childcare improvements. Download a copy of the findings summary here and read the full media release here.
2026
20 January 2026: Strategic Partnership Meeting. CHDC and Infinitum Partners met with Family Day Care QLD at their Murarrie office to formalise partnership opportunities for the WCF Stage 2 application.
January 2026: Following the successful WCF EOI, a comprehensive Stage Two application was prepared and submitted by CHDC to the Department of Employment, Small Business and Training (DESBT).
February 2026: A face-to-face update on the WCF Stage 2 application submitted in January was delivered to the Board. The briefing detailed the project’s objectives, milestones, and resourcing, highlighting new partnership opportunities and initiatives with Family Day Care QLD.
February 2026: Regional Funding Advocacy. CHDC drove awareness of the CCCF Round 5 and BEEF funding rounds, providing applicants with localised data and letters of support to strengthen regional submissions.
February 2026: CHDC and Infinitum Partners met with C&K representatives at the early childhood education provider’s Brisbane office to discuss collaborative solutions to building capacity in Blackwater. We’ll continue to keep you posted as we make progress.
Remember to check out our page dedicated to the Enhancing Early Childhood Education and Care (EECEC) project here, including the findings summary.
