Appreciating Early Childcare Educators

If you have heard that the rules around mobile phones and electronic devices in early childhood settings have changed, you are right. If your child attends a childcare centre in NSW, these changes are already in effect.

Here is a plain-English breakdown of what changed, why it happened, and what it means for your family.

Why Did the Laws Change?

The changes were introduced as a child safety measure. In 2025, Australia’s Education Ministers agreed to amend the Education and Care Services National Law to address concerns about the potential for personal devices to be used to capture, store, or transmit images of children in care without authorisation.

The intent is straightforward: children in early learning settings deserve an environment where their privacy and safety are actively protected.

What Changed Nationally

From 27 February 2026, amendments to the national Education and Care Services National Law took effect across Australia. Under these changes, educators and staff who work directly with children are restricted from using personal electronic devices in care settings.

Before this, from 1 September 2025, all early childhood education and care services nationwide were required to have written policies in place addressing the use of digital devices.

What Changed in NSW

NSW moved ahead of the national timeline. The Education and Care Services (Supply, Authorisation and Use of Devices) Order 2025 took effect on 6 November 2025, applying across NSW’s 6,000 or more early learning services, including long day care centres, preschools, and family day care.

Under this order, educators and staff must use service-issued or service-authorised devices rather than their own personal devices when working directly with children.

What Counts as a Personal Device?

The definition is broad. A personal device is any device owned by an individual (not the approved provider) that is capable of capturing, storing, or transmitting an image. This includes:

Mobile phones
Smartwatches
Cameras and tablets
iPads and laptops
Hard drives, USB drives, and memory cards
Wearables such as camera glasses

Who Does the Ban Apply To?

The restrictions apply to anyone working directly with children at a service, including permanent and casual educators, students on placement, volunteers, contractors, and allied health professionals delivering programs on-site.

Parents, carers, and other visitors are not covered by the ban. In NSW, parents and carers remain free to use their personal devices during drop-off, pick-up, centre visits, and events involving their own children. There are also authorised exceptions for essential purposes, including emergencies and health or disability support needs.

What About Screen Time for Children?

These new laws specifically address staff device use, not children’s screen time. Screen time limits for young children are not mandated within childcare regulation at a national level.

The relevant guidance comes from the federal Department of Health and Aged Care’s 24-Hour Movement Guidelines, which recommend no screen time for children under 2 years, and no more than 1 hour per day for children aged 2 to 5 years. These are health guidelines, not regulatory requirements.

What This Means for Your Family

If your child attends a childcare centre in NSW, their service is already required to operate under these rules. Any educator or staff member working directly with your child should not be using a personal device to take photos or videos. Only service-authorised devices should be used for that purpose.

If you have questions about how your centre handles digital devices or image capture, you are well within your rights to ask. Most services will have a written policy in place that covers exactly this.

At Clovel, the safety and wellbeing of every child in our care is at the heart of everything we do. If you would like to know more about how we support your child across our centres, we would love to have that conversation with you.

Every parent knows that raising a child is almost an overwhelming challenge. While we have access to resources that parents in the past didn’t, many still struggle to ensure their children get all the care and nurturing they need. Early childcare educators provide invaluable support during this delicate period of development.

They don’t just educate children, but also provide a compassionate, nurturing environment that helps their overall development. Parents often underestimate how much physical, mental, and emotional labour goes into early childcare education.

What Do Early Childcare Educators Do?

Early childcare educators offer a considerable amount of support to their students. They aren’t just teachers, but also guardians, companions, friends, and leaders. Filling these diverse roles can be challenging for any individual, but childcare educators are trained to handle these skillfully.

These educators can teach your children their ABCs, offer emotional comfort when they are stressed or upset, and encourage them when they are struggling with new concepts and more. They do everything in their power to help a child develop healthy self-esteem while learning skills they need down the line.

Trained Experts

Childcare educators receive comprehensive training before organisations trust them with children. This field is fluid and continually evolves because educators are always looking for better ways to nurture children. They spend thousands of dollars on research regularly, and childcare experts publish findings, opinions, as well as observations every day.

Educators take time to polish their skills and stay up-to-date with the latest developments. Some of the most effective strategies modern educators use focuses on social and emotional learning.

What is Social and Emotional Learning?

Children at an early stage of development are in a fluid state. Their mind is always learning new skills, experiencing new emotions, and developing connections. Focusing only on academic and cognitive learning at this stage can be detrimental to their overall development. If educators ignore social and emotional health, they place the child at risk of developing behavioural problems down the line.

SEL strategies are designed to help children interact with their peers, communicate with adults like teachers or parents, and adjust to different kinds of social situations. Educators teach children self-regulation strategies that can influence their behaviour for years to come. The two distinct approaches to SEL are:

Programs to Improve Behaviour and Engagement – These programs are designed to improve a child’s awareness and ability to understand social cues. They help children engage in conversations, regulate their behaviour, and handle stressful situations.
Programs for Children with Special Needs – Some children have behavioural, emotional, or learning difficulties and require special attention from their educators. Programs for children with special needs are designed for this purpose and employ strategies that help these children get the balance they need.

SEL is highly effective in helping children become balanced and comfortable in different kinds of situations. They are more confident, eager to learn, and more self-aware, which can benefit them throughout their school career.

How Effective is SEL?

Parents are often reluctant to embrace newer education strategies, unwilling to jeopardise their child’s well-being. Childcare educators do a fantastic job explaining different education strategies before pointing out the benefits of SEL. This allows parents to make an informed choice regarding their child’s education. Here’s a look at just how effective SEL can be:

It has a positive impact on a child’s social interactions, allowing them to develop peer groups and take on leadership roles early.
Students with a more balanced education have a better approach to learning. They embrace education, develop a thirst for knowledge, and have fun while they assimilate new concepts.
Children learning through this model have three months of additional development under their belt when they move on to middle school or higher education.
These programs are particularly beneficial for disadvantaged children or ones with unstable backgrounds that have learning or behavioural difficulties.

SEL is only useful if a well-trained staff consistently implements it. Competent educators know how to give children the attention they need to find stability. The quality of the teaching staff plays a vital role in your child’s development.

That’s why early childcare educators need more support from parents and organisations. When educators and parents work together with the aim of child development, they are more likely to thrive.

We at Clovel Childcare and Early Learning Centre, provide a very nurturing environment for children to learn and grow. For any information about our services, give us a call at 02 9199 0294 or fill in this contact us form

Thanks for reading,
Clovel Childcare
1300 863 986

Lyn Connolly

Founder and Company Director

Lyn Connolly is the Founder and Company Director of Clovel Childcare & Early Learning Centres, a family‑owned group of eight centres across Western Sydney established from her first service at Merrylands. Active in early childhood education since 1977, she also serves as President of the Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA) NSW, representing providers in state and federal consultations, media, and public hearings.

Blog & Videos