CELA membership: Your early education support team

We provide the operational resources, expert guidance, training and support you need to deliver quality early childhood education, helping your team to thrive. 

When you’re a CELA member, your whole team is supported

Join over 27,000 early education professionals and committee members, who through their service's membership, receive expert advice, resources and training to improve practice and service delivery. 

Access the sector's leading 1800 support line for expert assistance with any areas relating to the operation of your service, from compliance to policy, from practice to funding and more. We give you and your committee access to the information you need, when you need it, in a user-friendly format. 

We’ve been a trusted source of knowledge and support for early education organisations across Australia for almost 50 years. 

Join today    

 

 

What our members have to say about us

Narelle Myers, Bermagui Preschool

Kathy Memovic, Young Achievers Early Learning Centre

Great value for < $1 a day*. Here's what you get:

1800 support line

Access the sector's leading 1800 support line for expert assistance with any areas relating to the operation of your service, from compliance to policy, from practice to funding and more. Meet our sector experts. 

Member news

Your weekly bulletin highlighting the sector’s latest announcements and news in one handy place.  

"I really appreciate your work on the weekly membership news, it makes my job of communicating with management, educators, and families so much easier and keeps us all well informed."

Jenny, Preschool Director

Discounts

Members receive up to 20% discount on training, and 10% discount on consultancy and mentoring services. Profits from training fees are reinvested into our advocacy work, member benefits and professional development initiatives.

Rattler magazine

A free copy of our sector-leading journal, delivered to your inbox digitally three times a year, including a printed copy of the annual compendium. Find out more about Rattler. 

 

Jobs board

Post your vacancies on our dedicated job board, promoted to over 20,000 people in our weekly Amplify! E-newsletter.  View our jobs board. 

Online operational resource library

Access over 100 policy templates, tools, checklists, articles, infographics and guides in our online operational resource library. New resources are released regularly. View our resource library. 

FREE Essential Insights webinars

Plus! All members enjoy exclusive access to our free Essential Insights webinars. Each session (run every two months) features a half-hour live webinar followed by engaging discussions on a fresh topic each month, downloadable resources, and on-demand access to the recording in our member hub.

Recent topics include: Inclusion Using Visual Cues, Creating a Child Safe Service and Cultivating Cultural Safety and Equity.

CELA Membership FAQs

6 ways CELA’s early education specialists have helped our members recently

Q: “I’ve received confusing communications about a government grant scheme. What steps do I need to take to meet the requirements?”

A: Our team helped this member by breaking down the details of the grant, clarifying the requirements, and providing actionable steps to ensure compliance.

Q: “My team has raised concerns about feeling undervalued and unsupported by leadership. How can I address this and improve workplace morale?” 

A: CELA provided this member with practical strategies to create an open and supportive workplace culture, ensuring staff feel heard and valued. 

Q: “When should we ask families for clearance forms after a child has been unwell? Our team needs clearer procedures to follow.” 

A: We guided this member on best practices and helped them draft clear protocols, ensuring their approach aligned with regulations and team responsibilities. 

Q: “Parents at our service prefer some meals left out of the fridge, but I’m concerned about food safety. How can we balance their preferences with regulations?” 

A: CELA provided expert advice on managing food safety while respecting families’ wishes, helping this member communicate effectively with parents. 

Q: “The Authorised Officer at our recent visit said we need stronger evidence for exceeding themes. What kind of evidence should we provide?” 

A: Our team supported this member with consultancy, shared templates, and resources, helping them prepare stronger evidence for exceeding themes. 

Q: “Two families at our centre have opposing requests about their children playing together. How can we manage this situation fairly?” 

A: We offered this member guidance on conflict resolution strategies and practical advice to balance fairness, inclusivity, and operational capacity. 

Who should join?

Our members include community-managed not-for-profit, government, and privately owned small providers, delivering preschool, long day care, outside school hours care, and family day care services. CELA supports over 1,800 members employing more than 27,000 educators and teachers nationally.  

Join today  

CELA is a not for profit organisation. Profits from training fees are reinvested into our advocacy, membership benefits and professional development initiatives.   

Members make an important contribution to our advocacy efforts

As a peak body for early childhood education, Community Early Learning Australia is an influential and vital advocacy force for the sector and for Australia's children. CELA CEO Michele Carnegie advocates on behalf of members, representing the interests of community and small providers. Members are invited to contribute their views via surveys, panels, emails and conversations throughout the year.  

Want to know more?

 Contact us 

*Based on individual or single service/organisation membership 

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