Childcare Educator jobs

Childcare jobs in Melbourne, VIC

Childcare jobs in Melbourne cover long day care, kindergartens, outside school hours care and family day care across Greater Melbourne. Victoria is stricter than most states: a Working with Children Check clearance is needed before you start in a regulated education and care service, and the toddler ratio is tighter than elsewhere. Register your CV with CrossNation and a recruiter reviews it as employers brief us.

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By CrossNation Editorial Team. Sources checked 6 October 2026.

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Open childcare educator roles in Melbourne right now: 0

No matching roles are open in Melbourne right now. Create a candidate profile and upload your CV, and a recruiter reviews profiles against roles as employers brief us. A listing is not a job offer.

What to know

What to know before you apply in Melbourne

What kinds of childcare work are there in Melbourne?

Greater Melbourne is wide, so travel time is part of the decision. Suburbs such as Werribee, Craigieburn, Pakenham and Cranbourne sit a long way from the city centre, and Footscray, Box Hill and Brunswick are closer in. Across the city the usual settings are long day care, sessional kindergarten and outside school hours care at primary schools. The Children's Services Award defines the industry as long day care, occasional care, nurseries, family based childcare, out-of-school hours care, vacation care, kindergartens and preschools, among others, so the same award can sit behind very different rosters. Ordinary hours under the award fall between 6.00 am and 6.30 pm, which is why many Melbourne centres ask for an opening or closing shift.

What must you have before you start in Victoria?

The Victorian Government says the Working with Children Act lets most people start child-related work while a Check is assessed, but not if you will be working in a service regulated under the Education and Care Services National Law (Victoria) or the Children's Services Regulations 2020. In practice an educator needs the Working with Children Clearance in hand before the first shift, so apply early through Service Victoria, where two identity documents are needed. Since 27 February 2026 ACECQA has also required everyone involved in NQF-regulated education and care to complete national child safety training, so expect a new employer to ask for your Foundations for Child Safety certificate.

How do Victorian ratios and qualifications shape the roster?

Victoria is the only jurisdiction where the ratio for children over 24 months and under 36 months is one educator to four children, against one to five everywhere else. From 36 months to preschool age the ratio is one to eleven, and over preschool age it is one to fifteen, counted across the whole service rather than room by room. At least half the educators counted must hold or be working towards a diploma, and all others a certificate III. An early childhood teacher must be registered with the Victorian Institute of Teaching. The regulator is the Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority, so a service that misses a ratio answers to VECRA. ACECQA also lists Victoria among the states with its own qualification rules for outside school hours care.

What do the local numbers say?

At the 2021 Census Greater Melbourne had 4,917,750 residents. 290,649 were aged 0 to 4 (5.9% of the population) and 307,523 were aged 5 to 9 (6.3%), the group that outside school hours care serves. 10.5% of employed residents worked as community and personal service workers, a group that includes child carers, against 11.0% across Victoria. The ABS lists Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals) (4.3%), Cafes and Restaurants (2.6%), Computer System Design and Related Services (2.6%), Supermarket and Grocery Stores (2.3%), Other Social Assistance Services (1.9%) among the five biggest industries of employment. These figures describe the area, not CrossNation vacancies.

What you could apply for in Melbourne

Role types

Educator in a long day care baby, toddler or preschool room
Diploma-qualified educator or room leader in long day care
Educator in a sessional kindergarten program
Outside school hours care educator at a primary school site
Early childhood teacher, registered with the Victorian Institute of Teaching

Areas covered: Werribee, Craigieburn, Pakenham, Cranbourne, Footscray, Box Hill, Frankston, Sunbury, Epping.

Official data

Key facts from official sources

Victoria: start only after the clearance in regulated education and care

The Victorian Government lists working in a service regulated by the Education and Care Services National Law (Victoria) among the cases where you must not work while a WWC Check application is being assessed.

Source: Victorian Government: The Working with Children Check application process (retrieved 6 October 2026)

Victoria: ratios (read 6 October 2026)

1:4 from birth to 36 months, 1:11 from 36 months to preschool age and 1:15 over preschool age. Victoria is the only jurisdiction with 1:4 for children over 24 months and under 36 months.

Source: ACECQA: Educator to child ratios (retrieved 6 October 2026)

Victoria: regulator and teacher registration

The Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority administers the NQF in Victoria. Since 30 September 2015 all early childhood teachers employed in the role in a service must be registered with the Victorian Institute of Teaching.

Source: ACECQA: Early childhood teacher registration and accreditation (retrieved 6 October 2026)

National child safety training from 27 February 2026

Everyone involved in providing NQF-regulated education and care must complete mandatory national child safety training, starting with the Foundations for Child Safety module.

Source: ACECQA: Child safety and child protection training requirements (retrieved 6 October 2026)

Greater Melbourne: children by age at the 2021 Census

290,649 aged 0-4 (5.9%), 307,523 aged 5-9 (6.3%) and 293,410 aged 10-14 (6.0%). Median age 37.

Source: ABS 2021 Census QuickStats: Greater Melbourne (retrieved 6 October 2026)

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can I start in a Melbourne childcare centre while my WWC Check is being processed?

The Victorian Government says the Act allows most people to do child-related work during assessment but lists working in a service regulated under the Education and Care Services National Law among the exceptions. Plan to hold the clearance before you start.

Why is the toddler ratio different in Victoria?

ACECQA lists one educator to four children for children over 24 months and under 36 months in Victoria, and one to five in every other state and territory. It is one reason Melbourne rooms for two-year-olds are staffed more heavily.

Do I need a diploma to work in a Melbourne long day care centre?

Not every educator does. At least half of the educators counted in the ratios must hold or be working towards a diploma, and the rest must hold or be working towards a certificate III. Centres often hire certificate III and trainee educators into the other positions.

What is the difference between an educator and a kindergarten teacher in Victoria?

An early childhood teacher holds an approved teaching degree and must be registered with the Victorian Institute of Teaching. Educators hold a certificate III or diploma. Awards and pay rules differ between the two.

What does the Children's Services Award say about rosters?

Full-time ordinary hours average 38 a week, ordinary hours fall between 6.00 am and 6.30 pm and a roster change needs seven days' notice unless an emergency applies. Check the award text or your enterprise agreement, and check Fair Work for the latest rates.

Are there childcare jobs in Melbourne listed with CrossNation today?

Any open role that matches appears in the live roles section above. If there is none, register and upload your CV with your qualification, WWC Check and child safety training details, and a recruiter can look at your profile when a Melbourne service briefs us. A listing is not a job offer.