Australia's outstanding early childhood professionals honoured at the HESTA Early Childhood Education & Care Awards

Three early childhood professionals and organisations from across Australia have been named winners of the 2026 HESTA Early Childhood Education & Care Awards.

Now in their 12th year, the Awards recognise the professionals and services at the heart of Australia's early childhood education and care system. The winners were selected from 177 nominations across three categories.

The 2026 HESTA Early Childhood Education & Care Award winners are:

Advancing Pedagogy and Practice — Stella Pabon & Nathan Chu, MacGregor Outside School Hours Care, QLD

Individual Leadership — Samantha Vale, Windsor Community Children’s Centre, VIC

Outstanding Service — Byron Bay Preschool Coogera, NSW

HESTA CEO Robbie Campo congratulated the winners and finalists on their outstanding contributions to early education across Australia.

“The work we are recognising positively impacts the lives of children and families every day, right across the country. That’s why these Awards are so important to HESTA – we’re celebrating incredible impact and expertise that so often goes unseen,” Ms Campo said.

“The winners exemplify the very best in early childhood education leadership and pedagogy. It’s a privilege to share their stories – a director who led a community campaign to save a beloved community children’s centre in Melbourne, a preschool directly addressing inclusivity in their community in Byron Bay and an outside school hours care program pioneering child-led research.”

The Awards are supported by major sponsor AIA Australia, which provides each winner with $10,000 in prize money to be used for professional development or to improve workplace services or processes.

“We’re proud to support the HESTA Early Childhood Education & Care Awards, which recognise the extraordinary educators and carers who help shape the lives of Australia’s youngest learners every day,” AIA Australia Chief Executive Officer Damien Mu said.

“The foundations of lifelong health and wellbeing are built in the earliest years. Quality early childhood education and care helps children thrive today and flourish throughout their lives.”

The winners of the HESTA Early Education & Care Awards 2026:

Advancing Pedagogy and Practice

Nathan Chu & Stella Pabon - MacGregor Outside School Hours Care – QLD

MacGregor Outside School Hours is recognised for groundbreaking child-led research that asked children to define what makes a quality educator. Using multimodal, rights-based methods, Nathan Chu and Stella Pabon produced seven child-identified educator qualities that have reshaped its program and are contributing to international discourse on extended education.

"We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to showcase our action research and to share our experiences, learnings and insights with colleagues across the early childhood education and care sector," said Nathan Chu and Stella Pabon.

"The most rewarding part of what we do at MOSHC is creating a vibrant, safe and inclusive environment where children feel a genuine sense of belonging, are free to be themselves and know that their voices, ideas and perspectives matter. Seeing children build confidence, develop relationships, explore their interests and feel valued for who they are is at the heart of everything we do."

MacGregor Outside School Hours Care plan to use the prizemoney to invest in professional development and to support future action research projects.

Individual Leadership

Samantha Vale, Windsor Community Children’s Centre, VIC

Samantha Vale, the Director of Windsor Community Children's Centre (WCCC), is recognised for her leadership of the service in the two-year community campaign to save WCCC from closure, securing $8.4 million in combined federal and council funding, achieving record-breaking government submissions, and delivering bipartisan political support. Most importantly, her work has helped ensure 80 families retain access to quality early childhood education in their area.

"I am so proud of the community. Our sustained determination to advocate for the importance of retaining early learning centres such as ours, which exist in amazing locations and provide rich learning opportunities to so many children in high density areas," said Samantha.

"And I am really proud of the amazing team of educators who held space for our children and families during such a challenging time. For me, WCCC feels like a second home, and when that is how others feel that is truly wonderful. The Save WCCC campaign showed just how important these things are to so many people."

Samantha plans to use the prizemoney to invest in the WCCC's staff professional development and to improve systems and resources within the Centre.

Outstanding Service

Byron Bay Preschool Coogera, NSW

Byron Bay Preschool Coogera is recognised for addressing inclusion gaps across its Northern Rivers community through intergenerational programs, a licensed bush preschool, and Village Vibes family support groups. Staff-led research drives continuous quality improvement, and the service has engaged over 70 previously isolated families, earning Australia's highest early childhood education rating.

"Our team feels grateful to be acknowledged for our commitment to including children and families that haven't previously had access to quality early childhood education and care, and for our dedication to supporting families that need it most," said Bridget Isichei, Director, Byron Bay Preschool Coogera.

"We are also exceptionally proud of our commitment to quality improvement through action research, educator wellbeing, and children's participation; ensuring our children have an active voice and are able to influence decisions in their lives and community. To be recognised for our work inspires us to keep striving to develop new programs, embark on new action research, and reach more children and families."

Byron Bay Preschool plans to use the prizemoney to expand their community support programs, including to support children in their homes who are unable to attend preschool due to illness or cancer recovery.

Ends.