The blitz highlights the Commission's ongoing commitment to placing children's safety and wellbeing at the centre of every regulatory decision and action, helping families to have confidence that early learning services provide safe, high-quality environments.

Authorised officers will visit services across metropolitan, regional and rural NSW, focusing on compliance with new child safety reforms and requirements under the National Law and Regulations.

This compliance blitz will assess compliance in key areas including:

• maintaining up-to-date staff records, including completion and updates of the new National Worker Register and verified Working with Children Check (WWCC) records
• ensuring staff have completed and understand new child safety training and existing child protection requirements
• enforcing the restriction on personal devices within education and care environments.

This will be the third statewide compliance initiative since the Commission's establishment in December 2025, building on more than 10,000 unannounced compliance and monitoring visits conducted across NSW early learning services last financial year – a record number of inspections in the history of the regulator.

The activities form a key part of the Commission's proactive regulatory approach to identify risks early, support continuous improvement and take decisive action when serious risks to children are identified.

Throughout 2026, the Commission has worked extensively with the early learning sector to support providers in understanding and implementing strengthened child safety requirements.

With education and guidance a key focus to improve practice, providers are expected to demonstrate compliance every day - not only when inspections occur.

Where concerns arise, the Commission works closely with providers to quickly resolve non-compliance and, where necessary, use its full range of regulatory and enforcement powers to safeguard children.

Outcomes from the statewide compliance blitz will be released following the completion of the campaign.

Please attribute to NSW Early Learning Commissioner Daryl Currie:

“Child safety isn’t something that can be checked once a year; it must be part of every decision, every process and every interaction within an early learning service.

“Unannounced visits allow us to see how services operate day-to-day, identify any emerging risks and intervene early where improvements are needed.

“A strong early learning sector is built on accountability, continuous improvement and an unwavering commitment to the protection of children, their safety and wellbeing.”

MEDIA: Anwen Ruttle | 0472 662 076 | media@earlylearningcommission.nsw.gov.au