It's August, can you believe it? The year is flying by and with each passing week we draw one step closer to the 1 January 2014 deadline for new ratio and qualification requirements under the NQF.

From 1 January 2014 many qualification requirements for family day care and centre based care are changing and to meet the new requirements early childhood education and care providers must either hold the additional qualifications or be 'actively working towards' the required qualifications.

This is what you need to know to comply with the new requirements taking effect on 1 January 2014:

• All family day care coordinators must have an approved diploma level education and care qualification or above.
• All family day care educators must have, or be actively working towards, an approved Certificate III level education and care qualification (except eligible South Australian educators under Regulation 336, which expires in 2015).
• Centre based services catering for children under preschool age must meet the requirements for an early childhood teacher (ECT) which vary depending on the size of the service. The time the early childhood teacher must be accessible or in attendance at the service varies depending on the number of children being educated and cared for. You can find out more about the ECT requirements on the ACECQA website.
• Centre-based services catering for children under preschool age must also ensure half of all educators who are required to meet the relevant educator to child ratios have, or are actively working towards, an approved diploma level education and care qualification or above.
• The remaining centre based educators required to meet ratios also need to have, or be actively working towards, an approved Certificate III level education and care qualification or equivalent.