Financial support to study and work in early childhood

Get help with the cost of studying or moving to a new role in early childhood. Learn about funding, scholarships and incentives available to new and existing workforce.

Apply for scholarships & incentives

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Programs and scholarships for study

Early Childhood Tertiary Partnerships Program

The Early Childhood Tertiary Partnerships Program offers tailored courses with extra support for future teachers and educators, or current workforce seeking to upskill. Courses have been designed to offer a range of flexible learning options and additional benefits so students can choose a course that is right for them.

The program includes tertiary courses for students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. In-language support and academic and workplace mentors are available if needed.

Who can apply

Opportunities are available to new students, career changers or educators looking to upskill to become a teacher.

Learn more about the Early Childhood Tertiary Partnerships Program.

Early Childhood Scholarships Program

Early Childhood Scholarships help eligible individuals starting or currently studying an approved course to become registered early childhood teachers. Following the success of the Certificate III Upskill Support Program, scholarships are also now available for educators upskilling to a Diploma qualification.

Scholarship funding available under this program, before tax:

  • for bachelor's degrees: up to $25,000
  • for master's degrees: up to $18,000
  • for a Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care: up to $7,000

Who can apply

Apply for Early Childhood Scholarships through the early childhood scholarships and incentives application portal(opens in a new window).

You must meet the eligibility requirements. Please read the guidelines below, including the eligibility checklist, before applying.

Apply now

For more information, including help checking your eligibility, contact BUSY at Work:

Guidelines and eligibility requirements

New guidelines from 1 December 2025

These are for scholarships awarded on or after 1 December 2025.

Previous guidelines

These are for scholarships awarded before 1 December 2025.

Early Childhood Aboriginal Pathways Scholarships Program

Early Childhood Aboriginal Pathways Scholarships are for eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

These scholarships support people wanting to become early childhood teachers or educators.

This includes people who:

  • are already working in early childhood education and want to gain new skills (upskill)
  • are new to studying or who are already studying.

Working in early childhood education helps young children grow, learn, and build a strong sense of identity and connection to Country.

This program is part of the Department of Education’s commitment to growing the Koorie early childhood workforce. You can learn more in the Marrung Strategy.

Scholarship amounts (before tax)

You may be able to receive:

  • up to $2,500 for a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care
  • up to $9,000 for a Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care
  • up to $34,000 for a bachelor's degree
  • up to $24,000 for a master's degree

How to apply

You can apply through the early childhood scholarships and incentives application portal.

Before you apply:

  • make sure you meet the eligibility requirements
  • read the guidelines carefully

If you need help or want to check if you are eligible, contact BUSY at Work:

Guidelines

Certificate III Upskill Support Program

The Certificate III Upskill Support Program offered financial support for eligible educators to upskill to a diploma. This support has now become part of the Early Childhood Scholarships Program.

Previous guidelines

These are for those educators who received financial support under the Certificate III Upskill Support Program in 2024 and 2025.

Incentives to work in early childhood

We are offering financial incentives to attract eligible early childhood professionals to funded kindergarten programs.

Payments are offered through 2 early childhood incentives programs:

The goal of these programs is to make sure that Victoria’s funded kindergartens have the workforce they need to give children the best start in life.

To be eligible, roles must be:

  • contracted for at least 12 months
  • a teaching or educator position in a funded kindergarten program.

Teacher incentives

The Victorian Early Childhood Teacher Incentives program provides incentives to eligible early childhood teachers who will be working in a Victorian funded kindergarten. There are 2 types of incentives:

  • Individual incentive: $9,000 (before tax).
    This payment is for early childhood teachers who have been working outside of the Victorian early childhood education sector. Early childhood teachers from outside of Victoria are joining. Early childhood teachers who have taken a break from the sector for 12 months or longer are re-joining. These early childhood teachers can take up a teaching role at any service delivering a funded kindergarten program.
  • Location incentive: $9,000, $21,000 or $50,000 (before tax).
    This payment is for early childhood teachers who take up a teaching role at a selected service delivering a funded kindergarten program. These services are approved to offer a location incentive.

Some early childhood teachers will be eligible for both an individual incentive and a location incentive.

If an early childhood teacher is awarded one or both incentives and must move more than 100 km to work at the service, they may be eligible for a payment to help with the cost of moving. This is called a cost of moving supplement (previously called the ‘relocation supplement’). The payment is between $1,000 and $8,000 (before tax).

Cost of moving supplements are only available to eligible early childhood teachers who qualify for an incentive.

Who is eligible

To be awarded an incentive, an early childhood teacher must:

  1. meet general requirements for all incentives, including:
    • applying for the incentive within 60 days of accepting a role is one of these requirements.
    • having an employment contract for at least 12 months is another.
  2. meet requirements specific to an individual incentive and/or a location incentive.

Read the Early Childhood Teacher Incentives guidelines 2026-27 (DOCX, 117 KB) for more information. They contain important information about who is eligible and what evidence is needed for an application.

BUSY At Work administers the incentives program for the department. Eligible early childhood teachers should apply for an incentive within 60 days of accepting a position through the application portal .

You can search for jobs that offer a location incentive on job search websites. If you see a role that interests you, ask the service if it is approved to offer a location incentive.

Guidelines and eligibility requirements

Previous guidelines (2025-26)

Contact

Incentives are administered by Busy At Work on behalf of the Department of Education.

Contact Busy At Work:

Educator incentives

The Victorian Targeted Educator Incentives program provides incentives to eligible early childhood educators who will be working in a Victorian funded kindergarten.

There are 2 types of incentives:

  • Individual incentive: $9,000 (before tax).
    This payment is for educators who have been working outside of the Victorian early childhood education sector. Educators from outside of Victoria are joining. Educators who have taken a break from the sector for 12 months or longer are re-joining. These educators can take up an educator role in a funded kindergarten program at any service in Victoria.
  • Location incentive: of $9,000 (before tax).
    This payment is for educators who take up an educator role in a funded kindergarten program at a selected service in Victoria. These services are approved to offer a location incentive.

Some educators will be eligible for both an individual incentive and a location incentive.

If an educator receives one or both incentives and must move more than 100 km to work at the service, they may be eligible for a payment to help with the cost of moving. This is called the cost of moving supplement (previously known as the ‘relocation supplement’). The payment is between $1,000 and $8,000 (before tax).

Cost of moving supplements are only available to eligible educators who qualify for an incentive.

Who is eligible for an incentive

To be awarded an incentive, an early childhood educator must:

  1. meet general requirements for all incentives, including:
    • applying for the incentive within 60 days of accepting a role
    • having an employment contract for at least 12 months is another.
  2. meet eligibility requirements specific to an individual incentive and/or a location incentive.

Read the 2026-27 Victorian Targeted Educator Incentives Program Guidelines (DOCX, 115 KB) for more information. They contain important information about who is eligible and what evidence is needed for an application.

BUSY At Work administers the incentives program for the department. Eligible educators should apply for an incentive within 60 days of accepting a position. Submit applications through the early childhood scholarships and incentives application portal.

Search for jobs that offer a location incentive on job search websites. If you see a role that interests you, ask the service if it is approved to offer a location incentive.

Guidelines and eligibility requirements

Previous guidelines (2025-26)

Contact

Incentives are administered by Busy At Work on behalf of the Department of Education.

Contact Busy At Work via:

Early Childhood Update

News, resources and information that supports the learning and development of young children in Victoria.

You can shape young lives

Thinking about a career in early childhood? Learn how to get started and explore the scholarships, financial support and job opportunities available.

Early childhood education and care

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