Big Hearted Education

Big Hearted Education Supporting Family Day Care Educators

19/01/2026

Today’s video was captured in just 30 metres of our walk to the local park.

Thirty metres.

Dozens of discoveries.
Endless opportunities for conversation, curiosity and connection.

When we slow our pace, children show us how much there is to notice, textures underfoot, tiny movements, changing light, sounds, patterns and questions that don’t need answers straight away.
Slow pedagogy isn’t about doing less.
It’s about doing enough, with intention, presence and wonder.

A gentle reminder for educators: we don’t need to rush to the destination.
The learning lives in the wandering, the noticing, and the shared moments of “Did you see that?”

Where could you slow down today and let the environment do the teaching?

14/01/2026

If you don't position yourself as a professional, families won't see you as one.

Family Day Care educators are trained, regulated, and guided by the EYLF, and your marketing should reflect that.

This is how you build professional standing that attracts the right families.

08/01/2026

Part 1: Building your professional standing as a Family Day Care educator.

If promoting your Family Day Care feels awkward, start here.

Before marketing comes professional standing, how you show up, how you communicate, and how families perceive your service before they ever contact you.

You don’t need to “sell yourself”.
You need to show your professionalism clearly.

This is Part 1 of a short series for Family Day Care educators.





08/01/2026

Children don’t need us to fill every moment.

They need space to notice, wonder and feel safe enough to slow down.
These moments are free.
They are unhurried.
They are deeply regulating.

Watching birds.
Feeling the sun on skin.
Walking slowly just because we can.

Slow pedagogy isn’t about lowering expectations, it’s about raising our trust in children.

If today feels heavy, let it be simple.
Save this for the days when “busy” feels like too much.






childcentredlearning
natureplay
earlychildhoodeducation
familydaycare
fdceducators
fdclife
fdccommunity

12/12/2025

Senator Jess Walsh keeps saying the Government has delivered a pay rise for early childhood educators.
That statement is false for Family Day Care.

Family Day Care educators are not entitled to the Worker Retention Payment. We are not included. There is no pay rise for FDC under this measure. When the Government describes this as a sector wide wage increase, it creates a completely inaccurate picture and erases an entire workforce.

This matters. When a Minister stands in front of the media and says a pay rise has been delivered, it leads families and the public to believe that all educators are benefiting. Family Day Care educators are not. And pretending otherwise shows either a lack of understanding of the sector or a willingness to misrepresent it.

At the same time, mandatory child protection training has been announced. Family Day Care educators already complete regular child protection training as part of compliance. The new training is reportedly 12 hours long, yet services are being told they can close at 5 pm up to five times a year to complete it. That model does not work for Family Day Care. There has been no clarity about who pays for the training, how FDC educators are expected to complete it, or whether the content actually addresses the real risks we are concerned about.

Once again, these announcements were made to the media before they were communicated to the sector, often on a Sunday when educators and service providers are not working and cannot seek answers. That is not consultation. It is not respectful. And it is not acceptable.

Family Day Care educators are professionals. We are responsible for children’s safety every single day. We deserve to be spoken about accurately, included honestly, and engaged with directly. If Senator Jess Walsh and the Government are serious about child safety and workforce stability, then Family Day Care must stop being treated as invisible.

Words matter. Accuracy matters. And right now, Family Day Care is being misrepresented.

01/12/2025

If you’ve seen the headlines about yesterday’s early childhood reforms and you’re wondering how any of it connects to Family Day Care, you’re definitely not the only one. There’s a lot of noise out there right now, so let me make it simple.

The biggest piece to know is that the Federal Government is introducing mandatory child safety training for everyone working in early childhood education, and yes, that includes Family Day Care educators. Even though most of the media has been talking about long day care centres, the changes apply to all CCS-approved services, which means us too.

You may have also heard about the option for services to close from 5 pm, up to five days a year, so staff can complete this training. That part is written with centre-based services in mind. For FDC, we’ll still be required to do the training, but the way it’s scheduled will need to reflect how we operate as home-based educators. We’ll get clearer guidance on that as the rollout gets closer.

These reforms sit within a larger package focused on strengthening child safety and sector quality. There will be new systems, registers, and compliance measures, and while some of it will touch FDC, none of it is anything to panic over.

My intention is to keep things calm, practical, and clear for you. You don’t need to sift through legislation or guess what applies, I’ll make sure you have the information you need, when you need it, without the overwhelm. More updates to come as the details land.

Nearly $100 million was poured into a BOM website that was originally quoted at just $4 million. A blow-out of this scal...
26/11/2025

Nearly $100 million was poured into a BOM website that was originally quoted at just $4 million. A blow-out of this scale is apparently acceptable… yet Early Childhood Education is told to “wait”, “pilot”, and “prove need”.

The only recent funding initiative for FDC is a small pilot program, offered to a limited number of Schemes, where educators must work three months before they can even be considered for support — and even then, funding is not guaranteed.

At the same time, the sector is navigating a wave of new child safety changes that add paperwork, not protection. More forms. More hoops. More admin for already stretched services — with no resourcing attached and no evidence these changes will meaningfully improve children’s safety.

So while tens of millions can quietly disappear into a website redesign, the services actually caring for children — particularly those in childcare deserts — are expected to roll out new requirements, meet higher expectations, and expand access with minimal support.

Families in regional and outer suburban communities need real solutions.
Children need genuinely safer systems.
And FDC needs to be recognised as an essential part of Australia’s childcare landscape.

Australia doesn’t have a money problem.
It has a priorities problem.

And it’s time those priorities shifted towards the children and families who need it most.

FDC Educators… Ready to take charge of 2026?Let’s map out your whole year.......together!No more last-minute scrambling....
25/11/2025

FDC Educators… Ready to take charge of 2026?
Let’s map out your whole year.......together!

No more last-minute scrambling.
No more forgotten dates.
No more putting yourself last.

Join me for a live Yearly Planning Session created just for Family Day Care educators who are ready to feel organised, empowered, and in control.

🗓️ Saturday 13th December
⏰ 9 AM – 12 PM (QLD time)
📍 Live on Zoom
🎁 Includes printable & editable 2026 calendar templates!
We’ll plan your year from top to bottom, personal time, professional goals, term dates, events, and everything in between.

You’ll walk away with:
✅ A clear 12-month plan
✅ A beautiful calendar to share with families
✅ A calmer, more confident start to 2026

This is your CEO moment.
Make a cuppa, bring your highlighters, and let’s plan a year that actually supports YOU.
🎟️ Comment the word PLAN, and I'll send you the details.
tor

16/11/2025

Feeling lost in the planning cycle? Try thinking of it like a road trip. You know where you’re starting. You know where you want to end up. The rest? That’s flexible. Responsive planning means adjusting the route, not the goal. This map visual makes it click....finally!

12/11/2025

This pretty much speaks for itself!

Our Summer Planners are ready to purchase on our website.

Get yourself set for this busy season so you can have everything you need in one place!

12/11/2025

I see educators who struggle and feel overwhelmed by the idea of programming every single day.

It does not have to be this way.

I can show you how to create individualised plans for the children, without the burnout!

Join me for three hours this Saturday the 15th of November, and head into the end of the year, and the beginning of next year feeling confident!

Comment the word SUNNER for the registration link.

Address

Elanora, QLD

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Big Hearted Education posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share