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Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Worker Retention Payment

Australian Government · Australia

This program provides worker retention payments to early childhood education and care service providers to help increase their workers' wages. Funding supports a 10% wage increase in the first year, an additional 5% in the second year, and at least 20% extra funding towards eligible on-costs.

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Deadline

30 Sept 2026

Duration

2 years

Location

Australia

Who Can Apply

• Be approved for Child Care Subsidy (CCS) • Operate Centre Based Day Care (CBDC) or Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) services • Engage workers through a workplace instrument that meets the grant conditions • Limit fee growth by a set percentage from August 2024 • Agree to pass funding on to all eligible workers through increased wages
To be eligible, providers must be approved for Child Care Subsidy (CCS), operate Centre Based Day Care (CBDC) or Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) services, engage workers through a workplace instrument that meets the grant conditions, limit fee growth by a set percentage from August 2024, and agree to pass funding on to all eligible workers through increased wages.

What's Funded

Increasing wages for eligible early childhood education and care workers and contributing towards eligible employment on-costs for participating ECEC services.

Before you apply

Check Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Worker Retention Payment fit and evidence gaps before 30 Sept 2026

Use this business grant page to sanity-check eligibility, funding fit, evidence gaps and application effort before you commit days to drafting. If you already know the grant you want, the 48-hour audit gives a practical go/no-go view, reviewer-readiness score and next-step risks.

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Expected Outcomes

Eligible workers receive wage increases, providers retain staff, and participating ECEC services pass funding through to workers while limiting fee growth.

Free Eligibility Check

Answer a few quick questions to find out if you qualify for this grant. Takes about 2 minutes.

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Key Information

Applicant Types

other

Stage

any

Funding Purposes

employmentcommunity

Keywords

early childhood educationchild careECECworker retentionwagesChild Care SubsidyCentre Based Day CareOutside School Hours Care

Official Grant Page

Australian Government

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Worker Retention Payment?

The Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Worker Retention Payment is a business grant offered by Australian Government in Australia. This program provides worker retention payments to early childhood education and care service providers to help increase their workers' wages. Funding supports a 10% wage increase in the first year, an additional 5% in the second year, and at least 20% extra funding towards eligible on-costs.
2

Who is eligible for the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Worker Retention Payment?

  • Be approved for Child Care Subsidy (CCS)
  • Operate Centre Based Day Care (CBDC) or Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) services
  • Engage workers through a workplace instrument that meets the grant conditions
  • Limit fee growth by a set percentage from August 2024
  • Agree to pass funding on to all eligible workers through increased wages
3

When does the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Worker Retention Payment close?

Applications close on 30 Sept 2026.
4

What activities are funded?

Increasing wages for eligible early childhood education and care workers and contributing towards eligible employment on-costs for participating ECEC services.
5

How do I apply for the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Worker Retention Payment?

Start by checking your eligibility using the free Beta Docs eligibility checker. If eligible, Beta Docs' AI-powered platform can help you draft, review, and refine your application to maximise your chances of success.

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Beta Docs has helped founders secure $160M+ in competitive grants. Our AI platform drafts compliance-perfect applications — and our expert reviewers make sure you stand out.

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