Additional Educator

The IDF Subsidy for an Additional Educator provides per hour funding to subsidise the employment of an additional educator. The intention is to increase the educator to child ratio in the care environment to support the inclusion of children with additional and ongoing high support needs, alongside their typically developing peers.

Children with additional and ongoing high support needs may include:

• children who have a disability or developmental delay, or are currently undergoing assessment for disability;
• children who have a serious medical or health condition, including mental health;
• children who are presenting with challenging behaviours or trauma related behaviours

The IDF Subsidy for an Additional Educator is available to support the inclusion of children with ongoing high support needs including:

• Children with additional needs in Centre-Based Day Care services;
• Children with a disability diagnosis, or who are currently undergoing assessment for disability, in Centre-Based Day Care and Outside School Hours Care services and programs

A child with ongoing high support needs requires significant additional support from educators, resulting in the need for an increased ratio over and above the recommendations under the National Quality Framework for that age group.

The service seeking funding is responsible for demonstrating that due to the needs of the child (or children) and the inclusion barriers, strategies and actions identified, an Additional Educator is required to increase the educator to child ratio in the care environment to facilitate inclusion of all children.

Each care environment requiring support of an additional educator requires an individual Inclusion Support Case to be completed on the IS Portal. The Inclusion Development Fund has an annual capped funding allocation, which is set each financial year. In the event that demand exceeds available funding allocated within the capped program, funding will be prioritised to support children with a diagnosed disability and children awaiting a disability diagnosis.

The IDF Subsidy for an Additional Educator cannot be approved for the following purposes:

• One-to-one support for a specific child
• Assistance to meet licensing requirements of educator to child ratios as outlined in the National Regulations (or relevant state or territory legislation)
• To subsidise an additional educator to solely administer medical/nursing assistance or backfill an existing staff member to do so
• Assistance for which funding is the responsibility of a state or territory government, other Australian Government program or other bodies (including school education)
• To provide assistance to access other services, such as one-to-one early intervention or therapy sessions
• The provision of transportation of a child to/from the service, on transport not operated by the educator or service