Big Hearted Education

Big Hearted Education Supporting Family Day Care Educators

After nearly 12 months away from the mic, I'm back, and I have a lot I want to share with you.This episode is for every ...
11/06/2026

After nearly 12 months away from the mic, I'm back, and I have a lot I want to share with you.

This episode is for every educator and service coordinator who has been watching the landscape shift and wondering: is this the end of family daycare? The short answer is no. But it IS a season of change, and the way you move through it will determine whether you're still standing on the other side.

In this episode I talk openly about what I'm seeing across the sector right now, more service closures than I've witnessed in 14 years, the financial pressures behind them, and why it's not a reflection on you or the work that you do.

I also share what I believe separates the services and educators who will survive this season from those who won't, and it might not be what you expect.

This is real talk, with love, for the profession I care deeply about.

Comment PODCAST, and I'll send you the link.

02/06/2026

Can we stop asking what everyone else charges and start asking what it actually costs to run a Family Day Care business?

Every time I see educators asking:

"What are others charging?"
"What's the going rate?"
"My scheme says I shouldn't charge above the cap."

I cringe.

The educator down the road doesn't have your mortgage, your bills, your expenses, your goals or your business.

Your fees should be based on your numbers, not theirs.

Have you factored in:

• Your wage
• Super
• Tax
• Sick leave
• Annual leave
• Food and resources
• Utilities
• Insurance
• Professional development

Because if you haven't, you may be working for less than minimum wage.

And that's exactly what I'm seeing happen.

Some educators are being encouraged to charge below the CCS cap without any consideration of what it actually costs them to operate.

That's not sustainable.

If educators can't run viable businesses, they'll close their doors. When that happens, children, families and the entire sector lose.

If you need help working out your numbers, send me a message with "Profitable FDC" and I'll send you the details of my step-by-step workshop that helps educators calculate the minimum hourly rate they need to run a sustainable business.

It's time we stopped guessing and started treating Family Day Care like the professional business it is.
your numbers

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.

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