A parent's guide
The NDIS early childhood approach, explained
The phrase turns up in every conversation once your child's development is in question. The maternal child health nurse mentions it. The NDIS website has a whole section on it. Nobody quite explains what the early childhood approach actually is, or what happens inside it.
Here's the plain version.
What it is
The early childhood approach is the NDIS pathway for children younger than nine. It exists because young children shouldn't have to go through the same access process as adults, and because for many of them, the right support early means less support later.
It differs from the main scheme in a way that surprises most families: your first contact isn't with the NDIS at all.
The early childhood partner
The front door is an organisation in your region called an early childhood partner. These are local organisations the NDIS funds to deliver the approach, staffed by teams with clinical and developmental expertise in young children.
You don't need a referral to contact them, and you don't need a diagnosis. A genuine concern about your child's development is a good enough reason to call, whether that concern came from you, a kinder educator, or a doctor.
When you get in touch, the partner's team spends time understanding your child. They talk with you, sometimes use screening tools, and gather what the people around your child have already noticed, from kinder educators to your GP. They may also map the supports around your family, from grandparents to playgroups to your maternal child health nurse, to see where the gaps really are.
Early connections
What the partner offers first is what the NDIS calls early connections. It's a deliberately broad idea, and it works even if your child never becomes an NDIS participant.
For some families, early connections means information and practical guidance about your child's development, and links into mainstream and community services you didn't know existed. For others it includes short-term early supports delivered through the partner while you work out what's needed longer term. And where a child clearly needs more, the partner helps you apply for NDIS funding, including putting the evidence together.
That last point matters. The evidence gathering that feels overwhelming from a kitchen table, with reports from doctors and observations from kinder, is something the partner does routinely and will walk you through.
Getting an NDIS plan through the approach
If applying is the right path, the rules depend on your child's age. For children younger than six, showing developmental delay is enough, with no diagnosis required. From six, your child needs to meet the same disability criteria as older applicants, which usually means formal assessment. The age boundaries have their own quirks, and we've covered them in our guide to the NDIS early intervention age cut-off.
If access is approved, your child receives a plan with funding for early intervention supports. You choose which providers to use, and you can change providers without asking anyone's permission. For the full journey from first concern to plan, our parent's guide to early intervention under the NDIS walks through every step.
Where Thriving Kids fits
From October 2026, a new national program called Thriving Kids begins rolling out for children aged eight and under with developmental delay or autism and low-to-moderate support needs. It will eventually change how some children access support, though not until January 2028 and not for children already in the scheme. The early childhood approach described here is how things work now, and through 2027. Our parent's guide covers the Thriving Kids changes in detail, without the headlines.
Common questions
Is the early childhood approach the same as being “on the NDIS”?
Not exactly. It's the pathway for under-nines, and it can support your family before, during, and sometimes instead of NDIS participation. Some children move through early connections and never need a plan. Others use the pathway to apply for one.
Do we need a referral to start?
No. You can contact your region's early childhood partner directly, and you can book an Eluma Discovery session directly too. Neither needs a doctor's letter.
What does it cost?
The early childhood partner's work, including early connections, is funded by the NDIS and costs your family nothing. If your child receives a plan, supports are funded from it.
What if my child isn't eligible for a plan?
The partner can still connect your family with mainstream and community supports, and can revisit an application later if your child's needs change. Not receiving a plan doesn't mean nothing can be done.
If you're at the start of this
Most families meet the early childhood approach at the most uncertain moment of the whole journey, when something's been noticed and nothing's been explained. That's also the best time to talk to people who work with young children every day. The Eluma Discovery session is free, takes 60 to 90 minutes, and ends without anything to sign.