The shortage of available childcare has consistently been identified as a constraint in attracting and retaining residential staff in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. To help address this, BHP and Child Australia are working together to ease the strain and set a new standard for childcare in the Pilbara. 

The Thriving Futures program was established in July 2020 in response to the shortage of childcare availability in Newman and Port Hedland.  

With workforce development in the childcare sector a complex issue, particularly in regional Australia, Thriving Futures works to improve outcomes for children by recruiting, training and focusing on retaining a qualified and more sustainable early-learning workforce. The initiative also aims to strengthen professional practices, giving children access to higher quality early learning opportunities.  

As of April 2025, five early learning centres are participating in the program – three in Port Hedland and two in Newman.  

From July 2020 to April 2025, 65 Thriving Futures candidates have been employed in participating centres. In addition, in this period the program has: 

• delivered 133 professional development sessions and 233 hours of onsite consulting with staff across participating centres 
• provided 53 candidates with formal mentoring (one-on-one support from a dedicated mentor) 
• supported 23 scholarship recipients 
• seen 23 students graduate from the Thriving Futures Academy 
• significantly reduced childcare waitlists in Port Hedland and in Newman 

In 2022, we expanded our partnership with Child Australia with the launch of the Thriving Futures Educator Recognition program.  

This program is focused on attracting and retaining a quality childcare workforce and enhancing sustainability within the sector for generations of families to come. It’s designed to be the catalyst for a new benchmark in the Pilbara, raising the professional status of the workforce entrusted with the critical role of caring, nurturing and educating children in their early years. 

Our A$3.9 million commitment over a further three-year period from March 2025 to February 2028 will support childcare educators to access professional development, scholarship opportunities, supported mentoring, career pathways and more. With more than one third of candidates applying to be part of the Thriving Futures program identifying cost of living in the region as a significant barrier to considering the sector as a career choice, the additional funding also provides generous wage subsidies, which are directly linked to the individual educator’s commitment to uniquely tailored continuing professional development opportunities. 

The Thriving Futures Educator Recognition program aims to help improve staff attraction and retention, strengthen educators’ capabilities, increase childcare availability for families and ensure a robust, sustainable childcare sector in the Pilbara region.