Tips To Prepare Your Child For Preschool

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.

Preparing yourself and your child for preschool is no less than a test for you. You wonder how your little one will adjust in the preschool. You feel emotionally charged and anxious. But the thought of your child enjoying fun and friends in the school makes you glad. All these are conflicting emotions which your child is blissfully unaware of.

She will either be eager to attend the preschool or unwilling to leave you fearing the unfamiliar. It depends on your child’s temperament. She would also be going through a cycle of emotions on a different level though. Isn’t this something every parent and a preschool-going child experiences? Here are some tips to help prepare your child for preschool.

#1 Have Fun with the Preparations

As your toddler gets ready for the big day, keep your excitement and emotions under control. Remember that you are just exposing your child to a bigger world than your family and let it be a fun experience for your child. Allow them to pack their little bag, look at all the new things you have bought for them and give them the chance to savour the new experiences in their way.

#2 Pretend Play Is A Great Way to Go

The best way to keep the child away from the anxiety of going to preschool is to assume various roles like a child, parent, and teacher. If you act out daily routines like getting ready for school, saying good-bye to mom and dad, playing in the garden, reading stories, singing songs, etc. the child becomes a part of this acting. So on the big day, your child is more than willing to head to preschool without any anxieties and fear.

#3 Get Creative While Teaching Basic Skills

There are basic things a child needs to do independently in the school. They include hanging a coat on the hook, carrying a backpack, fastening their shoes as well as opening up their lunch box and unwrapping a sandwich, etc. Practice it at home or a picnic in a nearby garden and turn it into a natural activity. Children are quick learners and pick up these simple skills easily.

#4 Play at the New Preschool

Make it a point to visit the preschool and take your child along. Take a tour of the school and play with her on the school grounds a few times before the school starts. She will be able to familiarise herself with the surroundings and feel encouraged to go to school.

#5 Address Your Child’s Concerns and Worries

It is natural for your child to feel anxious, as well as excited. She may have some questions in her mind. Help her to talk about it and answer all her queries patiently. Tell her that you felt the same way on the first day of your school and how happy you were attending it. A child should not enter a school with anxieties or fears because it will affect her experience of attending a school. Let your child know that other children feel the same way, and her feelings aren’t unusual.

#6 Notice Various Nonverbal Messages

While some children are very talkative and express their feelings in their natural way, others are unable to express their worries, anxieties, or excitement. The parent needs to know the child’s traits and how she will react – aggressively, by withdrawing or by clinging to you. Be aware that this day is bringing in a big change in your child’s life, and you will need to be more supportive, loving, patient, and understanding about their reactions.

If you want to know more about pre-schooling at Clovel Childcare and Early Learning Centres, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. Just 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.

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