Professional development support for teachers and educators

Applications are now open for the Professional Development Subsidy and Paid Practicum Subsidy to support the development and retention of the highly skilled early childhood education and care workforce.

This year the Professional Development Subsidy will help providers pay staff to complete the national child safety training, delivered as part of the Government’s $226 million package to strengthen safety across the early childhood education and care sector.

Our early educators are the best asset we have to keep our children safe.

That’s why we introduced mandatory safety training in February 2026 to give educators the skills they need to detect, prevent and report abuse.

This subsidy is an important government support for providers to implement the new mandatory safety training.

Other options to support the training include service closures after 5pm to support mandatory child safety training, through the $21 million the Albanese Government has provided to help centres conduct training or using existing opportunities such as planning time and staff meetings.

Where the training has already been completed, providers can apply retrospectively for the subsidy, so long as they have not already accessed other government support for staff to complete the training.

The Albanese Government expects providers to support educators to complete this training on paid time.

Additionally, the Paid Practicum Subsidy is available to educators undertaking a Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care, relevant postgraduate Early Childhood Teaching qualifications, and those completing an Early Childhood Teaching qualification.

For existing educators who are required to undertake practicum placements to complete early childhood education and care qualifications, the Paid Practicum Subsidy enables providers to offer paid leave during this period.

For more information and to apply, visit Professional development opportunities - Department of Education, Australian Government

Quotes attributable to Minister for Early Childhood Education Jess Walsh:

“A highly skilled workforce is the foundation of quality early childhood education and care.

“This mandatory safety training will give the workforce the support they need to recognise when something isn’t right, and to act.

“These subsidies help to build and retain the existing highly skilled early learning workforce.

“All Australian children deserve access to quality and safe early learning.”