What is the CCCFR Expansion Program?

The Community Child Care Fund Restricted (CCCFR) Expansion Program is a key Closing the Gap initiative that supports the establishment and sustainability of early childhood education and care services in communities with limited access to culturally safe, high-quality early learning opportunities.

The CCCFR Expansion Program is funded under the Australian Government’s Community Child Care Fund (CCCF) and focuses on increasing participation by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in early childhood education and care, particularly in remote and very remote locations where service availability is low or non-existent.

The CCCFR Expansion Program builds on the original CCCFR grant established in 2018 to help services overcome barriers to early childhood education and care participation in disadvantaged and vulnerable communities. In August 2021, the Australian Government committed a further $29.9 million over four years to expand the program to fund new early childhood education and care services in primarily remote and very remote areas. The expanded grant supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led organisations to establish and deliver culturally appropriate, community-controlled early years services where they are most needed, contributing to achieving Closing the Gap targets for early childhood engagement and improved outcomes in the early years.

The CCCFR Expansion Program aims to:

• increase participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in early childhood education and care,
• establish new culturally appropriate early childhood education and care services in mainly remote and very remote communities,
• support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations to successfully operate and deliver services,
• build local workforce capability through access to relevant training,
• increase the number of culturally safe and responsive early childhood education and care services,
• strengthen service capacity to address barriers to participation, and
• enhance collaboration between services to meet the needs of families and communities.

Our Role

SNAICC is the official Community Partner of the CCCFR Expansion Program.

Since 2022, SNAICC has partnered with the Australian Government Department of Education to support providers and communities to establish community-led, culturally safe, high-quality and sustainable early childhood education and care services that reflect the voices and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, families and communities.

Our support includes:

• supporting services in meeting regulatory requirements and achieve quality standards,
• supporting place-based workforce planning and training,
• facilitating community engagement in early childhood education and care initiatives, and
• assisting services to respond to emerging operational challenges.

SNAICC works closely with CCCFR Expansion sites to provide tailored foundational support for the establishment of quality and sustainable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led education and care services that effectively address local community needs. We have led virtual communities of practice, creating opportunities for participants to reflect on what quality education and care looks like for their community and the central role of community voice in service development. SNAICC also facilitates national communities of practice and co-chairs the CCCFR Expansion Advisory Group, providing leadership on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in CCCFR Expansion initiatives and supporting self-determination and community control.

The CCCFR Expansion Program forms part of SNAICC’s broader early childhood development work, alongside other national initiatives aimed at improving early years outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. These include Connected Beginnings, Early Years Support and the Early Childhood Care and Development Policy Partnership.

CCCFR Expansion Sites

A total of eight early childhood education and care services have been established through the CCCFR Expansion Program.

The current sites are:

• Puuya Foundation in Lockhart River, Queensland
• Napranum Aboriginal Land Council in Napranum, Queensland
• Wunan Foundation in Kununurra, Western Australia.
• Central Australian Aboriginal Congress in Mparntwe/Alice Springs, Northern Territory
• Central Desert Regional Council in Anmatjere/Ti Tree, Northern Territory
• Bundiyarra Aboriginal Community Corporation in Jambinu/Geraldton, Western Australia
• Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire Council in Kowanyama, Queensland.
• Yipirinya School in Mparntwe/Alice Springs, Northern Territory

Collectively, these sites provide access to high-quality early childhood education and care for more than 300 children each year.

Supporting future expansion

Between November 2024 and June 2025, SNAICC undertook on Country consultations with communities as part of site scoping for future CCCFR Expansion opportunities. Working closely with community leaders, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations and local stakeholders, this work focused on understanding local needs, assessing feasibility and supporting community-led decision-making about early childhood education and care.

As Community Partner, SNAICC provided cultural engagement support, workforce planning advice and regulatory guidance, while helping embed trauma-informed and community-led approaches from the outset. Consultations highlighted the significant unmet need for culturally safe early childhood education and care in many communities, and the important role that community-controlled services play in supporting children’s development, family wellbeing and broader community outcomes.

Review of the grant

In April 2023, Deloitte was commissioned by the Australian Government Department of Education to review the restricted grant, working in partnership with SNAICC and consultants Murawin.

Key findings and recommendations of the review included that:

• few CCCFR services would be viable operating on mainstream childcare funding alone
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities do not feel that the CCCFR grant is sufficient to support strong developmental outcomes and address barriers to ECEC participation for their communities
• an alternate dedicated funding model should be considered for ACCO early years services, designed in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives
• the objectives of the CCCFR program should be revised to align with the National Agreement on Closing the Gap Priority Reforms, including a focus on self-determination and building the community-controlled sector.

The final report was released in October 2024.