What is an early education and care facility (ECEC)?

The Standard Instrument—Principal Local Environmental Plan (2006) (Standard Instrument LEP) defines an ECEC facility as a building or place used for the education and care of children. It includes the uses in the umbrella diagram:  Long Day Care (LDC), Family Day Care (FDC), Preschool and Out of School Hours (OOSH) care.

What is the difference between a centre- based childcare facility or early education and care facility?

Early education and care facility is an umbrella term which encompasses different uses, including a centre-based child care facility.  Click on Figure 1 below to see a summary of ECEC provided under the umbrella of the Standard Instrument (click on the image to expand it).

The role of the Australian Government

Standard Instrument LEP Early education and care facility

The role of the Australian Government in ECEC includes:

• Funding Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA), an independent national authority
• Providing the Child Care Subsidy to support ECEC providers and families
• Administering quality and safety measures related to the Child Care Subsidy Enacting the National Quality Framework (NQF) through national legislation through legislative requirements in the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Commonwealth’s Inclusion Agencies.

Role of NSW Government

The role of the NSW Government in ECEC includes:

• Supporting existing ECEC services
• Planning and expanding system capacity Working with local councils on local delivery.
• Monitoring, supporting and regulating ECEC through the Independent Early Childhood Regulatory agency

The NSW Government, together with cross sector partners, has developed this toolkit as a foundational step towards navigating challenges in ECEC planning, access, and delivery, particularly in regional NSW, where they are underserved by childcare services.

The toolkit provides a practical, solutions- focused resource that supports local councils, providers, developers, industry and businesses, to navigate these challenges with greater clarity and consistency. The development of this toolkit is therefore not just about navigating the planning system. It is also a strategic enabler of the NSW Government’s commitment to building an equitable, sustainable, and high-performing ECEC system for all.

Role of Local Government

Local councils in regional NSW have varying levels of involvement in ECEC. As a consent authority, local council assesses development applications against statutory planning controls and strategic frameworks. Separately, some local councils may also act as a landowner, developer or direct providers of long day care, family day care etc. It is important to distinguish These roles must be considered independently to ensure transparency and avoid conflicts of interest.

ECEC in regional NSW

The focus of this toolkit is on long day care access and provision in regional NSW.

Click on Figure 2 to see the lower supply and limited choice of ECEC services in regional NSW compared to Metropolitan Sydney.  High scarcity areas are underserved by ECEC.