Do you run an early childhood education and care service and employ educators, room leaders, or support workers? You may be covered by the Children’s Services Award 2010 [MA000120].
From 1 March 2026, the Children’s Services Employee classification structure changed to Levels 1–8, with translation and retained-rate protections for some employees classified on 28 February 2026. From the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026, the Annual Wage Review increased modern award minimum rates by 4.75%.
This guide helps you work out whether the Children’s Services Award is the right one for your business, how to place employees in the correct level, and the main pay, penalty, overtime, and break rules you need for payroll.
Children’s Services Award: A Quick Summary for Busy Managers
Short on time? Here are the essentials:
- Alongside Australia’s National Employment Standards, the Children’s Services Award 2010 [MA000120] sets minimum pay rates and key working conditions for many roles in early childhood education and care.
- To comply with the Award, always confirm:
- Coverage: Is the Children’s Services Award the best match for your workplace and the work being done? In some cases, another modern award—such as the Educational Services (Schools) General Staff, Higher Education General Staff, or Local Government awards—may be a better fit.
- Employment type: Is the worker full-time, part-time, or casual?
- Level and pay point: Based on what they do day to day, is the employee a Children’s Services Employee (CSE) Level 1–6 or a Children’s Services Support Employee (CSSE) Level 1–3? And does a pay point apply within that level?
- Worked hours: When do penalties and overtime apply? (Many employees get higher rates on Sundays (200%) and public holidays (250%), and overtime outside ordinary hours.)
- A common “gotcha” is the minimum payment rule for weekend and public holiday work. Even if the shift is shorter, the employee may still need to be paid for at least 4 hours at the correct rate.
- Most underpayments happen when employers misclassify staff, miss pay-point progression, or forget penalties/overtime and other required entitlements.
Award Basics
The Children’s Services Award 2010 is an award created and updated (varied) by the Fair Work Commission. It’s one of the main rulebooks used in Australia’s children’s services and early childhood education sector.
The Award sets the minimum standards for:
- Base pay rates.
- Penalties (including weekend and public holiday rates).
- Overtime.
- Breaks.
- Allowances.
- Leave-related rules.
These rules work alongside the National Employment Standards (NES), which set standards relevant to most Australian employees.
This Might Interest You
Want to learn more about labour laws for workers and employers down under? Read Connecteam’s Australian Employment Law Guide, written by human rights lawyer and business management expert Kate Stacey.
Who’s covered under the Children’s Services Award?
Businesses covered
If your main business provides children’s services or early childhood education, there’s a good chance that this Award applies. It can cover services such as:
- Long day care.
- Occasional care.
- Nurseries.
- Childcare centres or day care facilities.
- Family-based childcare.
- Out of school hours care (OSHC).
- Vacation care.
- Adjunct care.
- In-home care.
- Kindergartens and preschools.
- Mobile centres.
- Early childhood intervention programs.
The Award can also cover labour hire businesses and their employees while they’re in a children’s services workplace.
Employees covered
Roles often classified under this Award include:
- Child care workers.
- Room leaders, coordinators, assistant directors, and directors.
- Support roles such as cooks, cleaners, laundry operatives, drivers, gardeners, and maintenance and admin staff.
Who isn’t covered under the Children’s Services Award?
This Award generally isn’t the right fit for:
- Carers in family day care (the individuals providing care in that setting).
- Qualified preschool and early childhood teachers.
- Child minders employed by fitness centres.
- Early childhood physical education program providers.
The Children’s Services Award also may not apply if another modern award better matches the workplace or the work being done. These awards include:
- Educational Services (Schools) General Staff Award.
- Higher Education General Staff Award.
- Local Government Award.
- Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award (SCHADS).
Coverage self-check: Does the Children’s Services Award apply?
An easy way to sense-check coverage is to ask yourself whether these statements apply to your workplace and the employee in question:
- My business is a children’s services or early childhood education and care service (e.g., long day care, childcare, OSHC, vacation care, kindergarten, in-home care, or early childhood intervention).
- My employee’s role and everyday duties fit within the Award’s classifications. They’re an educator or child care worker, coordinator, or director, or in a support role such as cooking, cleaning, or admin. They aren’t a family day care carer, qualified preschool or early childhood teacher, fitness-centre child minder, or early childhood physical education program provider.
- The role isn’t better covered by another modern award (e.g., Educational Services (Schools) General Staff, Higher Education General Staff, Local Government, or SCHADS) or enterprise agreement/instrument.
If you answer “yes” to most of these, the Children’s Services Award 2010 likely applies.
Pro Tip
The Fair Work Award Finder makes it easy to confirm the best-fit award based on your business type and your employees’ duties.
Coming up: Award dates and deadlines you need to know
| Date | What’s happening? |
|---|---|
| March to June 2026 | The Fair Work Commission runs its Annual Wage Review, which can change modern award minimum rates (including the Children’s Services Award rates). |
| 1 July 2026 | If award rates increase, the new minimum rates generally apply from the first full pay period that starts early July. |
| From 1 July 2026 | Super contributions generally need to be deposited into the employee’s fund within 7 business days of each payday (with some exceptions, such as for new starters). |
Determining Children’s Services Award [MA000120] Requirements
Under the Children’s Services Award, employees are grouped in 2 ways:
- By employment type (full-time, part-time, and casual).
- By classification level (based on the work they do and the skills, training, and responsibilities their role requires).
The Award also uses 2 main classification streams: Children’s Services Employee (CSE) and Children’s Services Support Employee (CSSE) (also referred to as Support Worker).
Let’s break all this down.
Employment types
There are 3 employment types under the Children’s Services Award:
Full-time
Full-time employees work an average of 38 ordinary hours per week. Ordinary hours are the hours that the Award considers “standard” for a particular role. Full-time staff have consistent schedules, and their ordinary hours usually fall between 6:00 am and 6:30 pm.
These employees get the usual permanent entitlements under the NES, including paid annual leave, personal/carer’s leave, and public holiday rights.
Part-time
Part-time employees work fewer than 38 ordinary hours per week on a regular, agreed pattern (agreed days and start/finish times) and can’t work more than 8 hours a day.
Did You Know?
If any employee under this Award works a broken/split shift (2 shifts in 1 day), their total worked hours for the day can’t be more than 12.
Part-time staff receive the same entitlements as full-time employees, but in proportion to the hours they work (called pro rata).
They have to be engaged (on the roster) and paid for at least 2 continuous hours per shift.
Casual
Casual employees don’t have guaranteed hours from week to week, but they’re still covered by the Award’s rules on ordinary hours and base rates (which we discuss later in this guide).
Instead of ongoing job security and entitlements like paid leave, casual workers receive a percentage on top of their usual rate as extra pay. This is known as casual loading. For ordinary hours, this loading is 25% + the base rate.
Casual staff must be paid for at least 2 hours per engagement and can work no more than 8 hours per day.
Did You Know?
In some cases, casual employees can request to convert to part- or full-time employment under the NES. For more info, explore the Fair Work Ombudsman’s guidance on becoming a permanent employee.
Classifications and levels
Children’s Services Employees (CSE): Levels 1–8
| Levels | Typical roles |
|---|---|
| Level 1—Introductory Educator | Works directly with children and has less than 12 months’ experience as a Children’s Services Employee. |
| Level 2—Educator | Works directly with children and has at least 12 months’ experience as a Children’s Services Employee. |
| Level 3—Qualified Educator | Works directly with children and holds an approved Certificate III-level early childhood education and care qualification. |
| Level 4—Experienced Educator | A Certificate III-qualified educator with 4 years’ post-qualification industry experience at Level 3. |
| Level 5—Advanced Educator | Works directly with children and holds an approved Diploma-level early childhood education and care qualification, or an approved equivalent for OSHC. |
| Level 6—Room Leader | Appointed as a Room Leader or, in OSHC, appointed to assist a Level 7 or Level 8 employee. |
The former CSE structure was translated to Levels 1–8 from 1 March 2026. Employers should check Schedule I for the correct translated classification and any retained minimum rate that protects an existing employee.
Children’s Services Support Employee (CSSE)/Support Worker: Levels 1–3
| Levels | Typical roles |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Untrained/unqualified support employees who do basic support work (such as basic food prep support, laundry, cleaning, gardening, driving, non-trade maintenance, and admin support) under supervision. |
| Level 2 | More experienced support workers across similar areas as Level 1, but with more independence. |
| Level 3 | Certificate III-level staff who have higher-skill support duties (depending on what the service needs), such as managing the centre’s admin records and enrolment paperwork alongside day-to-day reception tasks. |
Children’s Services Award Pay Rates and Entitlements Overview
Minimum base rates
Children’s Services Employees now use eight classification levels based on duties, qualifications, experience, and appointed responsibility.
Support Workers continue to use pay points for commencement and service-based progression. Below are the current minimum rates for Children’s Services Employees and Support Workers.
Children’s Services Employee (CSE)
| Levels | Minimum weekly rate (full-time) | Minimum hourly rate (full-time & part-time) |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1—Introductory Educator | $1,094.80 | $28.81 |
| Level 2—Educator | $1,128.40 | $29.69 |
| Level 3—Qualified Educator | $1,233.90 | $32.47 |
| Level 4—Experienced Educator | $1,316.70 | $34.65 |
| Level 5—Advanced Educator | $1,389.50 | $36.57 |
| Level 6—Room Leader | $1,453.50 | $38.25 |
| Level 7—Assistant Director | $1,519.90 | $40.00 |
| *The information is based on the Fair Work Pay Guide published 24 June 2026 for rates applying from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. | ||
Leadership and transition rates
Under the current structure, Level 7 covers Assistant Directors and Level 8 covers Directors. Schedule I may preserve a higher minimum rate for some employees translated from the former structure.
| Levels | Minimum weekly rate (full-time) | Minimum hourly rate (full-time & part-time) |
|---|---|---|
| Level 8—Director | $1,752.70 | $46.12 |
| Existing employees covered by Schedule I | Higher of the translated rate or protected rate | Check Schedule I |
| Former Level 4A employees | $1,316.70 until 30 June 2027 | $34.65 until 30 June 2027 |
| *Schedule I contains the classification translation and retained-rate rules for employees classified under the former structure on 28 February 2026. | ||
Support Worker (CSSE)
| Levels | Minimum weekly rate (full-time) | Minimum hourly rate (full-time & part-time) |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1.1 (on commencement) | $1,004.90 | $26.44 |
| Level 2.1 (on commencement) | $1,023.40 | $26.93 |
| Level 2.2 (after 1 year) | $1,057.00 | $27.82 |
| Level 3.1 (on commencement) | $1,119.10 | $29.45 |
| *The information is based on the Fair Work Pay Guide published 24 June 2026 for rates applying from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. | ||
Children’s Services Award pay points and payments examples
Example 1: Qualifications and classification
A Children’s Services Employee who holds an approved Certificate III-level qualification is generally Level 3—Qualified Educator, with a current minimum rate of $1,233.90/week (or $32.47/hour).
Employees classified under the former structure on 28 February 2026 must be translated under Schedule I, and some are entitled to the higher of the new rate and a retained minimum rate.
Example 2: Pay by employment type
Consider that Level 3—Qualified Educator.
- If they work full-time, their minimum base rate is $1,233.90/week or $32.47/hour.
- If they work part-time, their base rate is also $32.47/hour, but they’re paid only for the hours they work. At 20 hours per week, that is $649.40 (20 x $32.47).
- If they work casually, the 25% casual loading brings the ordinary casual rate to $40.59/hour. Over 20 ordinary hours, they’d earn $811.80.
Pro Tip
For more details, explore the minimum wage section of the Award, or download the official Children’s Services Award Pay Guide. You can also use Fair Work’s Pay and Conditions Tool (PACT) or Modern Awards Pay Database to confirm current rates.
Penalty rates (weekends and public holidays)
Penalty rates are higher rates that can apply when staff works ordinary hours at certain times. They’re usually a percentage of the base rate, such as 150%.
Under the Children’s Services Award, penalty rates generally fall in 2 types: shiftwork penalties and weekend/public holiday penalties. This section covers weekend and public holiday penalties; check the Award for details on shiftwork penalties.
For non-shift employees under this Award:
- Saturday work is paid at the normal rate (no penalty).
- Sunday work is paid at 200% (double time) for all hours worked.
- Public holiday work is paid at 250% (double time and a half) for all hours worked.
If an employee works on a Saturday, Sunday, or public holiday, you usually have to pay them for at least 4 hours, even if the shift is shorter. If a shift crosses a part-day public holiday, you still count time just before and just after the public holiday when working out the 4-hour minimum.
Children’s Services Award penalty rates example
Let’s imagine a Support Worker Level 1.1 working on a public holiday:
- The minimum base rate is $26.44/hour for this role.
- If the person is a full-time or part-time employee, the 250% public holiday rate is $66.10/hour. They’d earn $396.60 for a 6-hour shift.
- For a casual, the 275% public holiday rate is $72.71/hour, including casual loading. The same 6-hour shift totals $436.26.
Overtime rules and rates
Overtime is the higher rate you pay when an employee works beyond the Award’s ordinary hours rules (or, for part-time and casual employees, outside the extra-hours limits the Award allows).
Overtime is worked out day by day (each day stands alone).
| When overtime is worked | Overtime rate (% of hourly rate) |
|---|---|
| Monday–Friday (full-time/part-time): first 2 hours | 150% |
| Monday–Friday (full-time/part-time): after 2 hours | 200% |
| Monday–Friday (casual): first 2 hours | 175% |
| Monday–Friday (casual): after 2 hours | 225% |
| Saturday (overtime): first 2 hours | 150% |
| Saturday (overtime): after 2 hours | 200% |
Children’s Services Award overtime examples
Consider a Level 3—Qualified Educator with a minimum base rate of $32.47/hour. Here’s how overtime differs by employment type:
- Full-time or part-time: The first 2 overtime hours on a Thursday are paid at 150%, or $48.71/hour.
- Casual: For the first 2 overtime hours, the rate is 175% of the minimum hourly rate, or $56.82/hour. For 1.5 hours, that is $85.23.
Did You Know?
Remember: For casual staff, overtime percentages already include the 25% casual loading, so you don’t have to add it on top.
Breaks
Under the Children’s Services Award, breaks include meal breaks and paid rest pauses.
| Break type | When it applies | What you provide | Paid or unpaid? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal break | An employee works more than 5 hours. (Employees working 6 or fewer hours can choose to skip it.) | A meal break that lasts 30–60 minutes. | ❌ Unpaid (unless the “stay on premises” rule below applies). |
| Meal break (stay on premises) | An employee is required to stay at their workplace during their meal break. | A meal break that lasts 20–30 minutes, counted as time worked. If the employee agrees to leave the workplace, the time is unpaid. | ✅ Paid (unless the worker agrees to leave). |
| Paid rest pause | An employee works 4 or more hours. | One 10-minute break. | ✅ Paid. |
| Second paid rest pause | An employee works 7 or more hours. | Two 10-minute breaks. | ✅ Paid. |
There are 2 important rules to remember:
- Rest pauses must be uninterrupted.
- Meal breaks also must be uninterrupted. If you (the employer) interrupt a meal break, you have to pay your employee overtime—in blocks of at least 15 minutes—until they can take an uninterrupted break.
For other rules (including breaks between shifts), see the Breaks section of the Children’s Services Award.
Allowances
Allowances are extra payments (or reimbursements) on top of an employee’s base pay. They’re generally meant to cover extra costs or extra responsibilities.
Some allowances are a percentage of the “standard rate,” which means the amount can change when pay rates are updated.
For current figures, check out the latest Allowances Sheet.
| Allowance | When it applies | Amount/how it’s paid |
|---|---|---|
| Broken shift allowance | An employee works 2 separate shifts in a day (a broken shift). | 1.733% of the standard rate per day ($21.38/day). |
| Special clothing | An employee is required to wear special clothing that isn’t provided or paid for. | The employer reimburses the costs. |
| Laundry (uniform) allowance | An employee has to launder the required clothing themselves. | Laundry and ironing: $9.74/week, or $1.95/day. Laundry without ironing: $6.14/week, or $1.23/day. |
| Excess fares allowance | An employee has to work away from their normal workplace for the day. | $17.22/day, unless the employer provides suitable transport free of charge. |
| First aid allowance | An employee below Level 3 is required to do first aid and holds a recognised qualification. | 1.025% of the standard rate per day ($12.65/day). For OSHC: 0.136% of the standard rate per hour ($1.68/hour). |
| Meal allowance | An employee has to work more than 2 hours of overtime without being told the previous day (or earlier). | The employer provides a meal or pays $16.12 per occasion. (This isn’t payable if the employee could reasonably get home for a meal.) |
| Former qualifications allowance | The separate qualifications allowance was removed from the Award on 1 March 2026. | Check any contract or enterprise agreement before changing an existing payment. |
| Use of vehicle allowance | An employee is asked to use their own vehicle for work. | Car: $1.01/km. Motorcycle: $0.34/km. |
| Educational leader allowance | An employee is required to perform educational leader duties. | $4,784.28/year (pro rata if fewer than 5 days/week). |
Did You Know?
An all-purpose allowance is simply an allowance that’s added to the employee’s minimum rate before factoring in things like casual loading, penalties, and overtime.
Leave entitlements
NES leave rules apply regardless of which award someone is under. The Children’s Services Award 2010 sits “on top of” the NES and introduces additional rules.
Annual leave
Who gets annual leave, and how much?
- Full-time employees: 4 weeks of paid annual leave each year.
- Part-time employees: The same entitlement as full-time employees but on a pro-rata basis.
- Casual employees: No paid annual leave.
- Shiftworkers: May qualify for the NES “extra week” of annual leave if they’re on shift work and rostered to work Sundays and public holidays.
What you pay during annual leave
You will pay employees on annual leave at the required NES rate plus 17.5% annual leave loading.
Annual leave in advance
Employees can take annual leave early (before it’s accrued), but only if there’s a written agreement that states the amount of leave and the start date. The agreement must be signed, and if the employee is under 18, their parent or guardian must also sign.
If the employee leaves the business before they’ve “earned back” that leave, the Award allows you to deduct the unaccrued amount from final pay (as long as it’s consistent with the agreement).
Excessive leave balances
The Children’s Services Award treats annual leave as “excessive” when the balance is past 8 weeks for employees or past 10 weeks for relevant shiftworkers.
There are detailed rules about when an employer can direct leave to be taken, and when an employee can require leave to be granted. Check “Excessive leave accruals: general provision” in the Award for that info.
Cashing out annual leave
Employees can cash out their annual leave, but there are strict rules:
- It can be by written agreement only.
- Each cash-out needs its own agreement.
- The employee must keep at least 4 weeks accrued after the cash-out.
- They can cash out no more than 2 weeks of leave across any 12 months.
See “Part 6—Leave and Public Holidays” in the Children’s Services Award for full details, including the notice rules, minimum balances, and agreement requirements.
Other NES leave
The usual NES types of leave in Australia apply under this Award as well. These include:
- Personal/carer’s leave.
- Compassionate leave.
- Parental leave (and related entitlements).
- Family and domestic violence leave (with confidentiality obligations around records and payslips).
- Community service leave (such as for jury duty).
How to Determine Children’s Services Award Coverage
With the right Children’s Services Award coverage, you find the proper classification level, minimum rates, and penalty or overtime rules for your situation. This reduces the risk of payroll mistakes later.
To picture what it’s like to determine the appropriate coverage, let’s look at some examples.
Children’s Services Award: A practical, real-world example
Sophie is a casual educator assistant at a long-day care service in Melbourne. She helps with routines and daily activities, and supports educators to run the program (under supervision). So, she fits at Children’s Services Employee (CSE) Level 2.
Sophie has at least 12 months’ experience as a Children’s Services Employee, so she fits Level 2—Educator under the current structure.
Because this is an early childhood education and care service (not a primary or secondary school) and Sophie’s duties fit within the Award’s levels, the Children’s Services Award 2010 is the likely award for her minimum rates and conditions.
At CSE Level 2—Educator, the minimum base rate is $29.69/hour. With the 25% casual loading, Sophie’s ordinary casual rate is $37.11/hour.
Common scenarios and compliance tips
-
A service hires an educator with a Certificate III, but uses a generic job title like “assistant.”
- Classify based on actual duties, skills, supervision, and qualifications, not the job title.
- Make sure the role is placed at the correct CSE level (not too low).
- Use the current Level 1–8 structure for Children’s Services Employees and the applicable pay point for Support Workers.
- For employees classified before 1 March 2026, check Schedule I translation and retained-rate protections.
-
A centre uses casuals and part-timers on the same roster, including short shifts.
- Confirm each employee’s employment type.
- Apply 25% casual loading for casuals, and don’t add it again where the rate already includes it.
- Check minimum engagement rules, including the 4-hour minimum for weekend and public holiday work.
- Apply Sunday (200%) and public holiday (250%) penalty rates when appropriate, and clearly record the day and hours worked.
-
OSHC or vacation care runs split shifts, and staff stay on premises during breaks.
- If an employee works 2 separate shifts in 1 day, check whether a broken shift allowance applies (and pay it if it does).
- If staff are required to remain on the premises, confirm whether you need to pay for meal breaks.
- If you interrupt a meal break, ensure you pay the employee(s) overtime until they can take an uninterrupted break.
- Make sure no employee works more than 12 hours across the day.
Key checks:
Key checks:
Key checks:
Common mistakes to avoid
Here’s a recap of what not to do under the Award:
- Misclassify staff (using a job title instead of matching real duties and supervision level).
- Forget pay points (e.g., “on commencement” vs “after 1 year” where it applies).
- Miss casual loadings and then also missing the flow-on effect for penalties/overtime.
- Not pay overtime when staff work beyond the Award’s overtime triggers.
- Overlook allowances (especially broken shift, first aid, and uniform/laundry).
Glossary
Ordinary hours
The standard hours an employee is rostered to work at their base rate (before overtime applies).
Loading
An extra percentage paid on top of the base rate (e.g., 25% casual loading).
Roster
A work schedule that outlines an employee’s shifts, start and finish times, and days they’ll work.
Broken shift/split shift
An instance when someone works 2 separate parts of a shift on the same day, with a long, unpaid gap in the middle.
Additional Resources
Head here for further reading and official resources:
- Children’s Services Award 2010 [MA000120]: Fair Work Commission consolidated Award.
- Fair Work Information Statement (FWIS): The statement you must give to new employees. Employers must also give casuals the Casual Employment Information Statement at the required times, comply with the NES right to disconnect, respect workplace delegates’ rights, and meet Payday Super obligations from 1 July 2026.
- Annual Leave Cash-Out Agreement: A ready-to-use agreement template.
- Annual leave in advance agreement: A template for agreeing to annual leave in advance.
- Fair Work Record-Keeping Requirements: Guidance on pay slips, pay records, and what employers need to keep.
FAQs
The amount of money childcare workers get paid in Australia depends on the role, qualifications, and the award/agreement.
From the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026, adult minimum hourly rates range from $26.44 for a Support Worker Level 1.1 to $46.12 for a Level 8—Director, before penalties and allowances.
The minimum qualification to work in childcare in Australia depends on the service type and role.
Based on the National Quality Framework, many educator roles require (or expect) an approved early childhood qualification (often Certificate III). Higher roles may require a Diploma or teaching qualification.
Disclaimer
The information provided here is a summary only and does not constitute legal advice. While we have made every effort to ensure the information provided is up to date and reliable, we cannot guarantee its completeness, accuracy, or applicability to your specific situation. Laws change frequently, and outcomes may vary depending on your business circumstances. We recommend consulting a qualified employment lawyer before making decisions related to workforce management. Please note that we cannot be held liable for any actions taken or not taken based on the information presented on this website.
