This page has a collection of government and non-profit resources which you may find useful in attempting to navigate your way around the childcare system.

National

• The Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority

  An independent statutory authority, ACECQA provides national leadership in promoting quality and continuous improvement in early childhood education and care and school age care in Australia.

• Childcare Associations Australia Inc

  The national peak body representing diverse children's services through its Member State and Territory Associations, it represents predominantly LDC services. Childcare Associations Australia is committed to providing ethical and professional representation for State and Territory Member Associations, to ensure a viable, high quality children's services sector.

• Early Childhood Australia

  Early Childhood Australia's mission statement is to advocate to ensure quality, social justice and equity in all issues relating to the education and care of children from birth to eight years.

• United Voice

  The industrial union covering the childcare industry (formerly the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union)

• The Australian Childhood Foundation

  The objective of the National Association of Community Based Children's Services (NACBCS) is to ensure that all Australian children, their families and their communities are effectively supported in order that they can live happily in a democratic and peaceful society. A cornerstone of achieving this vision is to ensure that all children and their families have access to affordable, quality children's services.

• National Association for Community Based Children's Services

  The Australian Childhood Foundation works to give children a happy and secure childhood - a childhood free from the devastation of abuse, family violence and neglect. It is a national charity that provides programs for children and parents and aims to strengthen community responsibility for promoting the well-being and protection of all children throughout Australia.

• Family Day Care Australia

  FDCA (formerly NFDCCA - the National Family Day Care Council of Australia) is family day care's national professional association. Their role is to support, enhance and resource family day care services, and lead the way for family day care in the Australian childcare industry.

  Working on behalf of the family day care community - carers, coordination unit staff, families and operators/sponsors - the organisation aims to ensure the strength and continued growth of family day care in Australia.

• Association of Neighbourhood Houses and Learning Centres (ANHLC)

  The Association of Neighbourhood Houses and Learning Centres has a membership of over 370 organisations, which includes just about all the Houses and Centres in Victoria, and some elsewhere. The Mission of ANHLC is to support and develop the movement of Neighbourhood Houses and Community Learning Centres as individual organisations and as a collective.

• Early Childhood Intervention Australia (ECIA)

  ECIA provides a national focus and forum, promotes the public profile of Early Childhood Intervention, facilitates effective liaison and advocacy in the community, and fosters quality information and service provision. Services include organisation of seminars and workshops and a national conference every two years.

ACT

• Kidsafe

  Kidsafe's goal is to reduce the number and severity of unintentional injuries to children. In the 24 years of operation, Kidsafe believes it has made a real difference. The number of children killed as a result of injuries has halved. Kidsafe's main activities have been to conduct child safety campaigns.

NSW

• Children's Services Central

  Children's Services Central are the providers of professional support and training to children's Services in NSW.

• Children's Services in New South Wales

  Children's Services in New South Wales provide families with a wide range of service types to ensure that individual care and educational needs of families are best matched to their service delivery needs. The aim of Children's Services is to support, resource and network families while providing children with high quality programs that facilitate their overall development. The provision of high quality programs that work collaboratively with families and encourage children to reach potentials is highly valued.

• Community Child Care Co-operative

  Community Child Care Co-operative is a not-for-profit organisation that promotes, supports and advocates for quality children's services, meeting the needs of children, their families and the community.

  The aim is to assist in the process of building and maintaining a strong children's services sector in NSW by providing resources, support and skill development opportunities for children's services providers.

• Mountains Outreach Community Service

  Mountains Outreach Community Service brings people together by providing activities and services for children, families, individuals and groups living in the Blue Mountains. They provide a range of free or low cost services in a variety of settings and locations including childcare.

• Network of Community Activities

  "Network" acts as a link up for community activities and for Out of School Hours Care Services run by autonomous community groups and local councils. Network is committed to helping promote quality community based services for school aged children, including children with disabilities.

• STaR Association

  STaR exists to empower children with disabilities and/or special learning needs, and those who support them, through research based education.

NT

• Professional Support Coordinator Northern Territory

  PSCNT will facilitate a range of support services to Australian Government Approved Child Care Services (AGACCS). They include (OSHC) Before and After School Care, Vacation Care, Family Day Care Schemes, In-Home Care, Occasional Care, Long Day Care and Multifunctional Aboriginal Children's Service (MACS) and serve as a conduit for knowledge, by linking children's services to high quality equitable Professional Development.

Queensland

• Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian

  An organisation which promotes and protects the rights, interests and well being of all Queenslanders under 18. Independent of other government organisations, the commission has an oversight role in the provision of government and commercial services to children.

• PlayCARE

  PlayC.A.R.E. is a SUPS service that assists child care services to provide inclusive care for children with additional needs. This is achieved through provision of support, training and resourcing of child care services. Emphasis is given to increasing the confidence, skills and knowledge of child care staff to provide inclusive care.

• Professional Support Coordinator Queensland (PSCQ)

  THE PSCQ is a project to coordinate professional support for Queensland child care services eligible for the Child Care Benefit

• The Early Childhood Teachers Association Queensland

  ECTA is an Association of registered teachers and others interested in the work of early childhood professionals committed to promoting early childhood philosophy and the ongoing development of quality care and education for young children. It comprises Queensland registered teachers and others interested in the work of early childhood professionals committed to promoting early childhood education philosophy and the ongoing development of quality care and education for young children.

  ECTA designs and implements programs that enhance the professional growth of early childhood professionals working in Queensland.

  ECTA was created and is administered by members who teach in schools, kindergartens and childcare centres or are professionals working in the health, education and well-being of children under eight years of age.

• Cairns & District Childcare Development Association

  The Association is committed to sponsoring and assisting community based child care services in our region.

SA

• Novita Children's Services

  Novita Children's Services was established in 1939 as the Crippled Children's Association of SA, to care for children diagnosed with polio.

  Novita is now believed to be South Australia's premier children's charity - and a world leader in the provision of therapy, equipment and family support to more than 1000 local children and their families living withÊphysical disabilitiesÊand acquired brain injuries .

Tasmania

• Professional Support Coordinator to children's services in Tasmania

  The Professional Support Program has been developed to promote and maintain high quality care and inclusion for all children in eligible child care services, by increasing the skill level of carers, managers and Inclusion Support staff, in line with nationally consistent principles.

Victoria

• Community Child Care Association

  The Community Child Care Association (CCC) works to support the provision of quality, affordable, community owned family and children's services. It is an independent non-profit organisation that provides training, resources, advice and advocacy and works to ensure that children and families have access to quality children's services which meet their individual needs.

• Early Childhood Intervention Australia (Victorian Chapter)

  Early Childhood Intervention Australia exists to:

  • To demonstrate leadership through the provision of evidence based information and engagement in discussion and debate on current issues affecting early childhood intervention practice
  • To advocate for the provision of a system of quality services for children with special needs
  • To represent the issues and those involved in the provision of services for children with additional needs and their families
  • To support quality improvement by facilitating opportunities and hosting an annual conference.

• Kindergarten Parents Victoria

  Kindergarten Parents Victoria provides a comprehensive range of management support to early childhood services. Membership consists of Victorian preschool committees, group employers and various other organisations associated with early childhood education.

• Queen Victoria Women's Centre

  The Queen Victoria Women's Centre (QVWC) is a not-for-profit organisation that provides information, support and resources for Victorian women and women's organisations.

WA

• Kids are Kids Therapy and Education Centre Incorporated

  A Not-for-Profit Organisation Providing Specialised Therapy and Education Services for Children and Families.

• Kimberley and Pilbara Children's Services

  KAPCS is a voluntary organisation that supports children's services in the Kimberley and Pilbara regions of Western Australia.

• Professional Support for Children's Services

  PSCWA facilitates a range of support services to Australian Government Approved Child Care Services (AGACCS). They include (OSHC) Before and After School Care, Vacation Care, Family Day Care Schemes, In-Home Care, Occasional Care, Long Day Care and Multifunctional Aboriginal Children's Service (MACS). The service is a conduit for knowledge, by linking children's services to high quality equitable Professional Development.

Disclaimer: while all care has been taken in building this list of links as a resource, no responsibility is taken for how sites may change after our last visit there.