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.

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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........

© Canberra Times