Gender-based undervaluation
The ACA has developed several resources to help early learning service providers and their staff understand the outcome of the gender-based undervaluation determination and how it will affect the Children's Services Award (2010).
These include:
- A blog article for service providers summarising the outcomes of the determination and what you need to know.
- A fact sheet for educators which employers can circulate to their staff.
- An online tool to translate former award levels to the new award classifications based on the employment circumstances. You can access this tool directly below.
Gender-based Undervaluation:
New Award Classification Tool
You can use this tool to determine how the former award levels translate to their new classifications, which take effect from 1 March 2026.
Please note that this tool does not yet explain how wages will change. Further resources will be available soon.
What’s changing
- From 1 March 2026 (for some services, depending on your workplace instrument), the Children’s Services Award classification structure is being restructured and simplified.
- This change follows the Gender-based undervaluation determination, which identified that work in early childhood education and care has historically been undervalued.
- As part of this update, current award classifications will be restructured into a new, simplified set of classification titles and levels, with descriptors updated to better reflect qualifications, duties and responsibilities.
- Importantly, educators actual roles are not changing as a result of this restructure — the changes only relate to how roles are classified under the Children's Services Award.
- This tool supports providers and educators to identify the new classification title that aligns with an existing classification.
Educators under the MEA/EA
No change in classification at this time until your nominal expiry date.
Educators under the Children's Services Award (2010) (including those covered by an IFA)
Yes, your classification will change. Check your reclassification below.
New Classification
—
CSE —
Click to view full mapping table (Old → New)
| Old Classification | New Classification |
|---|
Further Resources
You can access the Fair Work Commission’s formal documents about the Gender-based undervaluation determination using the following links:
