Early learning rostering, payroll & HR software
Early learning centres must maintain staff-to-child ratios, align room coverage with enrolments, and comply with sector awards. RosterElf integrates rostering, payroll, HR tools, time & attendance, and leave management, helping leaders control labour costs and support compliance.
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Keep rooms covered and ratios compliant
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Track WWCC and certifications
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Integrate with Xero, MYOB, and QuickBooks
Everything you need to manage your early learning workforce
Six powerful modules working together to simplify early learning staff rostering, HR, payroll, time tracking, payroll, HR, communication, and analytics.
Childcare rostering
Meet educator-to-child ratios
Build rosters that meet NQF ratio requirements. Schedule qualified educators across rooms based on child bookings.
- Ratio compliance planning
- Room-based scheduling
- Qualification matching
- Programming time
Time & attendance
Track educator hours accurately
GPS clock-ins verify staff are on-site. Digital timesheets capture shift times for accurate payroll and ratio records.
- Centre clock-in
- Break compliance
- Shift verification
- Real-time attendance
Payroll integration
Children's Services Award automated
Connect to Xero or MYOB. Automatic pay rates based on qualifications and penalty rates under the Children's Services Award.
- Award interpretation
- Qualification-based rates
- Penalty automation
- Xero/MYOB sync
HR for childcare
Manage educator credentials
Track ECT qualifications, Working With Children checks, first aid certificates, and mandatory training compliance.
- WWCC tracking
- First aid certification
- ECT qualification records
- Training compliance
Team communication
Connect your educator team
Share updates and programming notes. Instant notifications for roster changes. Coordinate across rooms.
- Room announcements
- Roster notifications
- Shift swap requests
- Team messaging
Childcare analytics
Ratio and labour insights
Track staffing ratios against requirements. Monitor labour costs and booking patterns. Generate compliance reports.
- Ratio compliance reports
- Labour cost analysis
- Booking pattern insights
- Audit-ready reports
Employee rostering for early learning
Align rosters to enrolments
RosterElf's rostering software enables managers to match educators and room leaders to child numbers and room plans. Drag-and-drop tools, live labour budgets, and reusable templates help cover opening and closing shifts and peak pickup windows.
Costed schedules reduce administrative work and maintain compliance with staff-to-child ratios across all rooms.
Time & attendance for early learning
Payroll-ready timesheets without disputes
Replace paper sign-in sheets with digital time & attendance. Staff clock in and out via mobile or kiosk with GPS and photo verification, capturing start, finish, and breaks accurately.
Approved timesheets flow into payroll, reduce disputes, and help centres uphold break rules and compliance requirements.
Payroll integration for early learning
Fast, accurate pay runs
Approved timesheets sync to payroll with penalties, overtime, and allowances applied automatically.
Payroll integration ensures educators, relief staff, and admin are paid correctly and on time, cutting re-keying and safeguarding compliance with sector awards.
Leave management for early learning
Keep rooms covered during absences
Staff request leave through the app and approvals update rosters instantly.
Leave management helps leaders maintain room coverage and ratios during holidays, sick leave, or professional development days.
Mobile apps for early learning teams
Improve communication and reliability
Managers publish roster changes in seconds, and staff are notified instantly on mobile.
Educators can view shifts, confirm availability, accept open shifts, and request swaps, reducing no-shows and improving coverage across rooms and sites.
HR compliance for early learning
WWCC, first aid, child safety
HR tools store Working With Children Checks, first-aid certificates, and child-safety training with automated expiry reminders.
Leaders ensure only qualified educators are rostered to rooms, lowering compliance risk and simplifying audits for regulators and funding bodies.
Trusted by early learning centres
Hear from early learning centres that simplified their workforce management with RosterElf
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."
Compare your options
Not sure which workforce management platform is right for you? Explore our comparisons and reviews to make an informed decision.
Relevant awards for early learning
Stay compliant with Australian Modern Award pay rates
Common roles in early learning
Download free job description templates for your early learning team
Explore similar industries
See how RosterElf helps other businesses like yours
Early learning rostering FAQ
- RosterElf enables you to build rosters that align educators and room leaders to child numbers and room plans. Live labour budgets and drag-and-drop scheduling help maintain compliance with mandatory ratios across all rooms.
- Yes, staff submit availability through the app, and managers can quickly fill gaps with qualified relief educators. Casual loading is applied automatically to pay calculations.
- Yes, create reusable roster templates for nursery, toddler, and kindergarten rooms. Duplicate templates for different enrolment levels and adjust educator numbers to maintain required ratios.
- RosterElf's rostering software helps you schedule opening and closing shifts to cover extended hours. Plan educator coverage for early arrivals and late pickups while maintaining ratios throughout the day.
- Yes, RosterElf shows live labour budgets while building rosters. Track costs by room and compare against government funding and parent fee budgets using the analytics dashboard.
Compliance resources
Official resources for childcare and education employers in Australia.
Real support from people who understand your business
At RosterElf, support isn't a ticket system — it's part of the product. 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
5.0 average rating Rated 5.0 by Australian businesses