Childcare rostering software, room by room
Roster every room for every hour it's open, and cover a 6:30am sick call from your phone.
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You set the rates once: Children’s Services, Educational Services (Teachers) and Local Government awards
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Early childhood educator, early childhood teacher and room leader on one roster
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6:30am to 6:30pm opening, staggered starts and finishes and split shifts
How RosterElf handles childcare
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Each room rostered as its own position
Roster each room as its own position, so the cover for each room hour by hour is visible before you publish. Ratios are set by the NQF; you plan the roster to them.
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Open shifts to your casual pool
Post the shift as an open shift to your casual educators in the app. The first qualified educator to accept it gets it once the director approves.
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Each award's rates set once
Set the Children's Services Award and Teachers Award rates once in the pay rate builder, and RosterElf applies the right one to each person's shifts.
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Checks held with expiry reminders
Working with Children Checks, first aid, anaphylaxis and qualifications sit in the HR Hub (Full Suite and HR plans), with automatic expiry reminders. An expired check does not block rostering.
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Non-contact time on the roster
Roster programming and documentation as their own shifts, so non-contact time is planned hours and does not come off the floor.
Childcare staff scheduling
Build the roster around the work, not last week's
- Copy a template week, then move cover to the busy days
- Every shift costed at your pay rates as you build it
- Publish to the staff app in one click
Checks held with expiry reminders
Working with Children Checks, first aid, anaphylaxis and qualifications sit in the HR Hub (Full Suite and HR plans), with automatic expiry reminders. An expired check does not block rostering.
Built for every kind of centre
Early learning centres
Roster contact and non-contact time separately, so the educational leader's programming time is planned hours and each room keeps its cover while it happens. ECT, Diploma and Certificate III qualifications sit on each profile.
Ratios are the roster, not a check on it
National Quality Framework ratios vary by age group and by state, and they apply at every moment the room is occupied — not on average across the day.
That distinction is where centres come unstuck. A roster that averages correctly across a day can still be out of ratio for the forty minutes between one educator leaving and the next arriving, and that forty minutes is what an unannounced visit finds. Rostering each room by the hour makes the gap visible early enough to fill. RosterElf does not calculate ratios for you: you plan the cover each room needs, and the roster shows it.
Each room rostered as its own position
Cover per room and per hour visible before you publish
Each educator’s qualifications on their profile as you fill a room
Open shifts to the casual pool, with director approval
Ratios are set by regulation, not by us
Educator-to-child ratios and qualification requirements are set under the National Quality Framework and vary by state and territory. Always confirm the current requirement with ACECQA and your regulatory authority.
Children's Services Award and your roster
Set your award rates once, then roster with them
- Your pay rates and penalties, set up in the pay rate builder
- Every rostered shift costed at the rates you set
- Check each rule against your own award or agreement
Children's Services Award (MA000120) — pay rates by period
| Period | Full-time & part-time | Casual |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary hours (Mon–Fri) | 100% | 125% |
| Saturday (shiftworkers) | 150% | 175% |
| Sunday | 200% | 225% |
| Public holiday | 250% | 275% |
Casual employees get a 25% casual loading, and the award sets how it combines with weekend and public holiday penalties. Rates change each 1 July; the full breakdown by classification, junior age and allowance is in the children services award pay guide. Always verify against Fair Work.
From clock-in to payroll
Staff clock in on a tablet kiosk or their phone, managers approve timesheets against the roster, and approved hours go to Xero or MYOB. RosterElf is not payroll software: it costs the timesheets and sends them to your payroll.
Clock-in
A tablet kiosk or the staff app, with GPS recorded at clock-in, breaks and clock-out. The geofence can block clock-ins off site. On Core and Full Suite.
Timesheets
Worked hours land beside the rostered shift, costed at your pay rates, for a manager to approve before the pay run.
Xero and MYOB
Approved, costed timesheets go to Xero or MYOB, so nothing is re-keyed. Your payroll still runs the pay.
Bush Kids Childcare on RosterElf
A lot of the childcare staff... the amount of support they've needed is how I judge how easy it is. The interface is logical... it's been designed with user testing and feedback.Oliver Wood · Founder, Bushkids Childcare Read the customer story
Reviews from RosterElf customers
Andrew Nathan
November 13, 2025
"We are extremely happy with Roster Elf, it's a great improvement on the previous system we were using. Sean and all the staff have been fantastic, really know their stuff and make using RosterElf a pleasure."
Monica Van De Laak
October 16, 2025
"Sean was an amazing help, very patient and thorough."
Mary C.
October 13, 2025
"I can see my roster, enter availability, put leave in advance and clock on and off easily."
Childcare rostering templates and guides
Free templates, guides and job descriptions for your business.
Comparing tools? Read our guide to the best rostering software in Australia .
Try childcare rostering free for 15 days
Set your award's rates once in the pay rate builder and RosterElf applies them to every shift.
No credit card 4.7 stars from 329 reviews on Google, Xero, G2 and Capterra
Real support from people who understand your business
At RosterElf, support isn't a ticket system — it's part of the product.
More about our support
Our Australian-based team helps you set up correctly, understand award rules, and stay compliant as your business changes. No scripts. No offshore handoffs. Just real help when you need it.
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Guided setup and onboarding
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Award and payroll questions answered
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Ongoing help as your team grows
Childcare rostering FAQ
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Good childcare rostering software rosters each room separately so cover gaps show before you publish, fills sick calls from a casual pool on staff phones, keeps WWCC and qualification records with expiry reminders, and costs shifts with Children’s Services Award rates. RosterElf does this for Australian centres, from one service to a group.
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Roster by room and by hour, not by centre and day. Set a template week for each room’s opening pattern, plan programming time as rostered non-contact hours, and keep a casual pool that can accept open shifts from their phones. Most problems come from gaps at changeover times that a daily total hides.
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Post the shift as an open shift to your casual educators in the app, and the first available person accepts it, with the director approving. Check that whoever accepts has the qualification the room needs and a current Working with Children Check. RosterElf shows their records and sends expiry reminders, but the director confirms the person is suitable.
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Most centre-based educators, room leaders and directors are covered by the Children’s Services Award 2010 (MA000120). Degree-qualified early childhood teachers are covered by the Educational Services (Teachers) Award (MA000077). Council-run centres may fall under the Local Government Award. Check our Children’s Services Award pay guide and confirm with Fair Work before paying.
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Yes. Every state and territory requires a current check for people working with children in childcare, though the name and rules differ, for example a WWCC or a Working with Vulnerable People card. RosterElf stores each check with its expiry date in the HR Hub and sends an automatic reminder before it lapses.
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Award rates change from the first full pay period on or after 1 July each year. Early childhood workers have also received government-funded wage increases. Our Children’s Services Award pay guide is updated from the Fair Work pay guides, and you should confirm the current rate with Fair Work before you pay it.