Childcare Educator jobs

Childcare jobs in Sydney, NSW

Childcare jobs in Sydney run through long day care, preschools and outside school hours care from the Northern Beaches to Campbelltown. New South Wales uses a Working With Children Check from the Office of the Children's Guardian, a one to ten ratio for children from 36 months to preschool age, and accreditation for early childhood teachers. 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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Live jobs

Open childcare educator roles in Sydney right now: 0

No matching roles are open in Sydney 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 Sydney

Where do Sydney childcare educators work?

Greater Sydney stretches from the Northern Beaches to Campbelltown and from Penrith to Sutherland, so where you live decides which centres are realistic. The usual settings are long day care, community and sessional preschools and before and after school care, and ordinary hours under the Children's Services Award can run between 6.00 am and 6.30 pm, so an opening or closing shift is part of many rosters. Outside school hours care is run on many primary school grounds, and ACECQA lists no separate state qualification rules for it in New South Wales, so centres rely on the national educator rules or their own policies.

What does the NSW Working With Children Check involve?

The Office of the Children's Guardian runs the Check in New South Wales. The agency says a Check lasts five years, and that a volunteer check is not valid for paid work, so an educator who volunteered first needs a paid-worker Check before starting in a paid role. The employer verifies the Check and keeps a record, which means a centre will ask for your number early in the hiring process. Apply online, confirm your identity at a Service NSW centre if asked, and keep the number with your CV. On top of the Check, every person in an NQF service must complete national child safety training that began on 27 February 2026, and a centre should also have an approved first aid, anaphylaxis and asthma trained person on site at all times.

What do NSW ratios and teacher rules mean for a roster?

For children from 36 months up to and including preschool age, the ratio in New South Wales is one educator to ten children, while Victoria, Queensland and South Australia use one to eleven. Children over preschool age are counted at one to fifteen, and babies under 24 months at one to four. The regulator is the NSW Early Learning Commission. Early childhood teachers working in approved centre-based settings must be accredited with the NSW Education Standards Authority, and ACECQA points to regulation 272 for the NSW-specific teacher provisions. Under the national rules a service with 25 to 59 children in attendance needs a full-time equivalent teacher or teacher attendance for a set number of hours each day.

What do the local numbers say?

At the 2021 Census Greater Sydney had 5,231,147 residents, with 312,364 aged 0 to 4 (6.0%) and 329,072 aged 5 to 9 (6.3%). The median age was 37, against 39 across New South Wales. 9.3% of employed residents worked as community and personal service workers against 10.6% for the state. The ABS lists Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals) (4.1%), Computer System Design and Related Services (3.1%), Banking (2.6%), Supermarket and Grocery Stores (2.4%), Other Social Assistance Services (2.0%) among the five biggest industries of employment. These figures describe the area, not CrossNation vacancies.

What you could apply for in Sydney

Role types

Educator in a long day care room in western, south-western or northern Sydney
Diploma-qualified educator or room leader
Educator in a community or sessional preschool
Before and after school care educator at a primary school site
Early childhood teacher, accredited with the NSW Education Standards Authority

Areas covered: Parramatta, Blacktown, Penrith, Liverpool, Campbelltown, Hornsby, Chatswood, Sutherland, Northern Beaches.

Official data

Key facts from official sources

NSW: Working With Children Check validity

A WWCC is valid for 5 years, and a volunteer WWCC is not valid for paid work.

Source: NSW Office of the Children's Guardian: Working With Children Check (applicants) (retrieved 6 October 2026)

NSW: how to apply

Applicants apply online with the Office of the Children's Guardian, and the page lists the proof of identity documents to take to a Service NSW centre where that applies.

Source: NSW Office of the Children's Guardian: How to apply for a WWCC (retrieved 6 October 2026)

NSW: ratios (read 6 October 2026)

1:4 from birth to 24 months, 1:5 from 24 to 36 months, 1:10 from 36 months to preschool age and 1:15 over preschool age.

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

NSW: regulator and teacher accreditation

The NSW Early Learning Commission is the regulatory authority. From 18 July 2016 early childhood teachers working in approved centre-based settings must be accredited with the NSW Education Standards Authority.

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

Greater Sydney: children by age at the 2021 Census

312,364 aged 0-4 (6.0%), 329,072 aged 5-9 (6.3%) and 321,768 aged 10-14 (6.2%).

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

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A recruiter reviews profiles against roles as employers brief us. Listings are not job offers.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a Working With Children Check for childcare jobs in Sydney?

Yes. Adults doing child-related work in New South Wales need a Check from the Office of the Children's Guardian, and the employer verifies it. A volunteer Check does not cover paid work.

How long does a NSW WWCC last?

The Office of the Children's Guardian says a Check lasts five years, and it continues if you change roles. Renew instead of re-applying when it expires.

What qualification do Sydney centres ask for?

Centres usually ask for a certificate III or a diploma in early childhood education and care, or evidence you are actively working towards one. At least half of the educators counted in the ratios must be diploma qualified or working towards it.

Do early childhood teachers need accreditation in NSW?

ACECQA says that from 18 July 2016 teachers in approved centre-based settings in New South Wales must be accredited with the NSW Education Standards Authority. Confirm your status with that body.

Which award covers Sydney childcare educators?

Many educators are covered by the Children's Services Award, with the eight Children's Services Employee levels in force since 1 March 2026, or by an enterprise agreement. See our childcare educator pay guide, and check Fair Work for the latest rates.

Are there childcare jobs in Sydney 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 and WWCC number, and a recruiter can look at your profile when a Sydney service briefs us. A listing is not a job offer.