I worked in childcare, and these are the red flags parents can spot
My first thought, as a previous trainee doing work experience in childcare centres in Sydney, was how could an educator get away with this and go unnoticed?
Over a few days, I read more and reflected on my own experiences. I realised, actually it could be quite easy.
My experience is certainly not comprehensive - I completed 240 unpaid hours (about 30 days) in baby and toddler rooms across two centres. But, just from that, I can identify some measures which may help keep children safe.
There are also some red flags parents and carers can keep in mind when choosing a centre for their children.
The early childhood education workforce is highly casualised. Centres may have full-time educators as room leaders or managers, but rely on agency staff to fill in gaps rather than hire above ratios.
There is a massive shortage of educators, probably because it is low-paid and emotionally exhausting work. The teachers I worked with often spoke about leaving to "work private" - as a nanny - or retraining. I have not been in the sector for years, but constantly receive texts, emails and calls from recruiters.
(Brown is said to have worked at 11 centres from 2024 until he was charged in May 2025).
Having more permanent staff is better for children who can develop attachments and be cared for by people who know them and their idiosyncrasies.
More importantly, centre managers and educators get to know each other, develop and understand child safe policies and may be better at picking up on suspicious behaviour.
To be clear, trusted people do abuse children. We know that perpetrators will groom parents and communities, earning the trust to get away with abuse. Convicted paedophile and Brisbane educator Ashley Paul Griffith was invited into his victims' homes.
I am just suggesting that a casualised workforce is not an environment that prioritises child safety.
Permanent and experienced staff may be more likely to question unsafe practices, raise concerns about another educator's unusual behaviour or notice a child is acting out of character. It is easier to track offenders.
If you notice lots of unfamiliar faces at pick-up or drop-off, I would start asking questions.
More than once, I found myself alone with kids in a room out of sight of educators while working as a trainee at one centre.
There was a small room off the main area with dress-up clothes and books, and the toddlers liked to drag me in there. Sometimes they would even shut the door behind them.
This is obviously a massive red flag. Children should be well supervised, ideally not left alone with only one educator.
Sydney-based educator Nick Stephens told Triple J: "Anyone that works as a quality service has that question ... how was a male allowed one-on-one with a child for an extended period?
"Ratios need to change. The more adults you have in a room working with children, the less likely something like this can happen."
An open-plan environment increases visibility.
Children are very small, so the furniture and walls should be smaller.
It might not smell great, but nappy changes can be done in the public space. Toilets (for children, not staff), don't need doors, or frankly even walls. Big glass windows that let you see inside and out are great.
Can children (and educators) hide under forts or tunnels, or behind playground equipment?
There are some practicalities that are hard to address. Babies will probably need a quiet and dark room to sleep (and they need their sleep). You cannot have two teachers leave seven children to put one baby down.
Perhaps we can consider CCTV in areas like this, or even the entire premises. There are issues around the privacy of children and staff, but when weighing it against child safety, I think it is worth discussing.
Many parents feel guilty enough for leaving their children in care, but in a modern world, it is a necessary sacrifice to keep a roof over their heads. Research also shows disadvantaged children benefit from being in high-quality childcare (but poor quality care leads to deficits in language and cognitive function).
I encourage parents to ask questions like: How often are strangers looking after my baby? Are there any places for a predator to, literally, hide? But if you don't like the answer, there may not be much you can do.
Finding another centre can actually be impossible in some areas, and good ones often have long waitlists.
Nannies, au pairs and babysitters are expensive and subject to far less supervision or scrutiny than educators in a centre.
READ MORE:
The sickening thing is that predators will find a way to abuse children, including in front of others.
The Canberra Rape Crisis Centre reports that one in three girls and one in five boys are sexually abused, yet most cases do not occur in educational settings.
Perpetrators are fathers, step-fathers, uncles, grandfathers, brothers, cousins and friends of the family.
Those calling for male educators to be banned should perhaps also consider banning parents, especially fathers, from caring for their own children.
If a predator cannot work in a childcare centre, they will find another way. UNSW research from 2023 found one in six Australian men have sexual feelings towards children, and one in 10 have offended.
Banning phones might prevent an abuser from recording and sharing their abuse, but it will not stop them from doing it.
Protecting your child can feel almost impossible right now; and that is because if it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to protect them.
This was originally published on Substack.
I was horrified and shocked to read that an early childhood educator, Joshua Brown, had been charged with more than 70 offences against children aged between five months and two years old.
My first thought, as a previous trainee doing work experience in childcare centres in Sydney, was how could an educator get away with this and go unnoticed?
Over a few days, I read more and reflected on my own experiences. I realised, actually it could be quite easy.
My experience is certainly not comprehensive - I completed 240 unpaid hours (about 30 days) in baby and toddler rooms across two centres. But, just from that, I can identify some measures which may help keep children safe.
There are also some red flags parents and carers can keep in mind when choosing a centre for their children.
The early childhood education workforce is highly casualised. Centres may have full-time educators as room leaders or managers, but rely on agency staff to fill in gaps rather than hire above ratios.
There is a massive shortage of educators, probably because it is low-paid and emotionally exhausting work. The teachers I worked with often spoke about leaving to "work private" - as a nanny - or retraining. I have not been in the sector for years, but constantly receive texts, emails and calls from recruiters.
(Brown is said to have worked at 11 centres from 2024 until he was charged in May 2025).
Having more permanent staff is better for children who can develop attachments and be cared for by people who know them and their idiosyncrasies.
More importantly, centre managers and educators get to know each other, develop and understand child safe policies and may be better at picking up on suspicious behaviour.
To be clear, trusted people do abuse children. We know that perpetrators will groom parents and communities, earning the trust to get away with abuse. Convicted paedophile and Brisbane educator Ashley Paul Griffith was invited into his victims' homes.
I am just suggesting that a casualised workforce is not an environment that prioritises child safety.
Permanent and experienced staff may be more likely to question unsafe practices, raise concerns about another educator's unusual behaviour or notice a child is acting out of character. It is easier to track offenders.
If you notice lots of unfamiliar faces at pick-up or drop-off, I would start asking questions.
More than once, I found myself alone with kids in a room out of sight of educators while working as a trainee at one centre.
There was a small room off the main area with dress-up clothes and books, and the toddlers liked to drag me in there. Sometimes they would even shut the door behind them.
This is obviously a massive red flag. Children should be well supervised, ideally not left alone with only one educator.
Sydney-based educator Nick Stephens told Triple J: "Anyone that works as a quality service has that question ... how was a male allowed one-on-one with a child for an extended period?
"Ratios need to change. The more adults you have in a room working with children, the less likely something like this can happen."
An open-plan environment increases visibility.
Children are very small, so the furniture and walls should be smaller.
It might not smell great, but nappy changes can be done in the public space. Toilets (for children, not staff), don't need doors, or frankly even walls. Big glass windows that let you see inside and out are great.
Can children (and educators) hide under forts or tunnels, or behind playground equipment?
There are some practicalities that are hard to address. Babies will probably need a quiet and dark room to sleep (and they need their sleep). You cannot have two teachers leave seven children to put one baby down.
Perhaps we can consider CCTV in areas like this, or even the entire premises. There are issues around the privacy of children and staff, but when weighing it against child safety, I think it is worth discussing.
Many parents feel guilty enough for leaving their children in care, but in a modern world, it is a necessary sacrifice to keep a roof over their heads. Research also shows disadvantaged children benefit from being in high-quality childcare (but poor quality care leads to deficits in language and cognitive function).
I encourage parents to ask questions like: How often are strangers looking after my baby? Are there any places for a predator to, literally, hide? But if you don't like the answer, there may not be much you can do.
Finding another centre can actually be impossible in some areas, and good ones often have long waitlists.
Nannies, au pairs and babysitters are expensive and subject to far less supervision or scrutiny than educators in a centre.
READ MORE:
The sickening thing is that predators will find a way to abuse children, including in front of others.
The Canberra Rape Crisis Centre reports that one in three girls and one in five boys are sexually abused, yet most cases do not occur in educational settings.
Perpetrators are fathers, step-fathers, uncles, grandfathers, brothers, cousins and friends of the family.
Those calling for male educators to be banned should perhaps also consider banning parents, especially fathers, from caring for their own children.
If a predator cannot work in a childcare centre, they will find another way. UNSW research from 2023 found one in six Australian men have sexual feelings towards children, and one in 10 have offended.
Banning phones might prevent an abuser from recording and sharing their abuse, but it will not stop them from doing it.
Protecting your child can feel almost impossible right now; and that is because if it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to protect them.
This was originally published on Substack.
I was horrified and shocked to read that an early childhood educator, Joshua Brown, had been charged with more than 70 offences against children aged between five months and two years old.
My first thought, as a previous trainee doing work experience in childcare centres in Sydney, was how could an educator get away with this and go unnoticed?
Over a few days, I read more and reflected on my own experiences. I realised, actually it could be quite easy.
My experience is certainly not comprehensive - I completed 240 unpaid hours (about 30 days) in baby and toddler rooms across two centres. But, just from that, I can identify some measures which may help keep children safe.
There are also some red flags parents and carers can keep in mind when choosing a centre for their children.
The early childhood education workforce is highly casualised. Centres may have full-time educators as room leaders or managers, but rely on agency staff to fill in gaps rather than hire above ratios.
There is a massive shortage of educators, probably because it is low-paid and emotionally exhausting work. The teachers I worked with often spoke about leaving to "work private" - as a nanny - or retraining. I have not been in the sector for years, but constantly receive texts, emails and calls from recruiters.
(Brown is said to have worked at 11 centres from 2024 until he was charged in May 2025).
Having more permanent staff is better for children who can develop attachments and be cared for by people who know them and their idiosyncrasies.
More importantly, centre managers and educators get to know each other, develop and understand child safe policies and may be better at picking up on suspicious behaviour.
To be clear, trusted people do abuse children. We know that perpetrators will groom parents and communities, earning the trust to get away with abuse. Convicted paedophile and Brisbane educator Ashley Paul Griffith was invited into his victims' homes.
I am just suggesting that a casualised workforce is not an environment that prioritises child safety.
Permanent and experienced staff may be more likely to question unsafe practices, raise concerns about another educator's unusual behaviour or notice a child is acting out of character. It is easier to track offenders.
If you notice lots of unfamiliar faces at pick-up or drop-off, I would start asking questions.
More than once, I found myself alone with kids in a room out of sight of educators while working as a trainee at one centre.
There was a small room off the main area with dress-up clothes and books, and the toddlers liked to drag me in there. Sometimes they would even shut the door behind them.
This is obviously a massive red flag. Children should be well supervised, ideally not left alone with only one educator.
Sydney-based educator Nick Stephens told Triple J: "Anyone that works as a quality service has that question ... how was a male allowed one-on-one with a child for an extended period?
"Ratios need to change. The more adults you have in a room working with children, the less likely something like this can happen."
An open-plan environment increases visibility.
Children are very small, so the furniture and walls should be smaller.
It might not smell great, but nappy changes can be done in the public space. Toilets (for children, not staff), don't need doors, or frankly even walls. Big glass windows that let you see inside and out are great.
Can children (and educators) hide under forts or tunnels, or behind playground equipment?
There are some practicalities that are hard to address. Babies will probably need a quiet and dark room to sleep (and they need their sleep). You cannot have two teachers leave seven children to put one baby down.
Perhaps we can consider CCTV in areas like this, or even the entire premises. There are issues around the privacy of children and staff, but when weighing it against child safety, I think it is worth discussing.
Many parents feel guilty enough for leaving their children in care, but in a modern world, it is a necessary sacrifice to keep a roof over their heads. Research also shows disadvantaged children benefit from being in high-quality childcare (but poor quality care leads to deficits in language and cognitive function).
I encourage parents to ask questions like: How often are strangers looking after my baby? Are there any places for a predator to, literally, hide? But if you don't like the answer, there may not be much you can do.
Finding another centre can actually be impossible in some areas, and good ones often have long waitlists.
Nannies, au pairs and babysitters are expensive and subject to far less supervision or scrutiny than educators in a centre.
READ MORE:
The sickening thing is that predators will find a way to abuse children, including in front of others.
The Canberra Rape Crisis Centre reports that one in three girls and one in five boys are sexually abused, yet most cases do not occur in educational settings.
Perpetrators are fathers, step-fathers, uncles, grandfathers, brothers, cousins and friends of the family.
Those calling for male educators to be banned should perhaps also consider banning parents, especially fathers, from caring for their own children.
If a predator cannot work in a childcare centre, they will find another way. UNSW research from 2023 found one in six Australian men have sexual feelings towards children, and one in 10 have offended.
Banning phones might prevent an abuser from recording and sharing their abuse, but it will not stop them from doing it.
Protecting your child can feel almost impossible right now; and that is because if it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to protect them.
This was originally published on Substack.
I was horrified and shocked to read that an early childhood educator, Joshua Brown, had been charged with more than 70 offences against children aged between five months and two years old.
My first thought, as a previous trainee doing work experience in childcare centres in Sydney, was how could an educator get away with this and go unnoticed?
Over a few days, I read more and reflected on my own experiences. I realised, actually it could be quite easy.
My experience is certainly not comprehensive - I completed 240 unpaid hours (about 30 days) in baby and toddler rooms across two centres. But, just from that, I can identify some measures which may help keep children safe.
There are also some red flags parents and carers can keep in mind when choosing a centre for their children.
The early childhood education workforce is highly casualised. Centres may have full-time educators as room leaders or managers, but rely on agency staff to fill in gaps rather than hire above ratios.
There is a massive shortage of educators, probably because it is low-paid and emotionally exhausting work. The teachers I worked with often spoke about leaving to "work private" - as a nanny - or retraining. I have not been in the sector for years, but constantly receive texts, emails and calls from recruiters.
(Brown is said to have worked at 11 centres from 2024 until he was charged in May 2025).
Having more permanent staff is better for children who can develop attachments and be cared for by people who know them and their idiosyncrasies.
More importantly, centre managers and educators get to know each other, develop and understand child safe policies and may be better at picking up on suspicious behaviour.
To be clear, trusted people do abuse children. We know that perpetrators will groom parents and communities, earning the trust to get away with abuse. Convicted paedophile and Brisbane educator Ashley Paul Griffith was invited into his victims' homes.
I am just suggesting that a casualised workforce is not an environment that prioritises child safety.
Permanent and experienced staff may be more likely to question unsafe practices, raise concerns about another educator's unusual behaviour or notice a child is acting out of character. It is easier to track offenders.
If you notice lots of unfamiliar faces at pick-up or drop-off, I would start asking questions.
More than once, I found myself alone with kids in a room out of sight of educators while working as a trainee at one centre.
There was a small room off the main area with dress-up clothes and books, and the toddlers liked to drag me in there. Sometimes they would even shut the door behind them.
This is obviously a massive red flag. Children should be well supervised, ideally not left alone with only one educator.
Sydney-based educator Nick Stephens told Triple J: "Anyone that works as a quality service has that question ... how was a male allowed one-on-one with a child for an extended period?
"Ratios need to change. The more adults you have in a room working with children, the less likely something like this can happen."
An open-plan environment increases visibility.
Children are very small, so the furniture and walls should be smaller.
It might not smell great, but nappy changes can be done in the public space. Toilets (for children, not staff), don't need doors, or frankly even walls. Big glass windows that let you see inside and out are great.
Can children (and educators) hide under forts or tunnels, or behind playground equipment?
There are some practicalities that are hard to address. Babies will probably need a quiet and dark room to sleep (and they need their sleep). You cannot have two teachers leave seven children to put one baby down.
Perhaps we can consider CCTV in areas like this, or even the entire premises. There are issues around the privacy of children and staff, but when weighing it against child safety, I think it is worth discussing.
Many parents feel guilty enough for leaving their children in care, but in a modern world, it is a necessary sacrifice to keep a roof over their heads. Research also shows disadvantaged children benefit from being in high-quality childcare (but poor quality care leads to deficits in language and cognitive function).
I encourage parents to ask questions like: How often are strangers looking after my baby? Are there any places for a predator to, literally, hide? But if you don't like the answer, there may not be much you can do.
Finding another centre can actually be impossible in some areas, and good ones often have long waitlists.
Nannies, au pairs and babysitters are expensive and subject to far less supervision or scrutiny than educators in a centre.
READ MORE:
The sickening thing is that predators will find a way to abuse children, including in front of others.
The Canberra Rape Crisis Centre reports that one in three girls and one in five boys are sexually abused, yet most cases do not occur in educational settings.
Perpetrators are fathers, step-fathers, uncles, grandfathers, brothers, cousins and friends of the family.
Those calling for male educators to be banned should perhaps also consider banning parents, especially fathers, from caring for their own children.
If a predator cannot work in a childcare centre, they will find another way. UNSW research from 2023 found one in six Australian men have sexual feelings towards children, and one in 10 have offended.
Banning phones might prevent an abuser from recording and sharing their abuse, but it will not stop them from doing it.
Protecting your child can feel almost impossible right now; and that is because if it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to protect them.
This was originally published on Substack.
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