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The National Quality Framework is a Government initiative which sets a National Quality Standard creating greater consistency for early childhood education and care services across Australia.
This initiative aims to improve educator-to-child ratios in services, increased skills and qualifications, national regulations and a quality ratings system which will help you to make informed choices about the education and care you choose for your child.
The NQF sets a high National Quality Standard (NQS) to encourage services to continually improve their programs and practices.
1.
Quality Area 1 – Educational program and practice
Educators develop and deliver education and care programs based on the culture, interests, abilities and needs of each child at the service. The program at our service reflects your child’s interests, meets their needs, and evolves over time to support their learning progress.
Our service will meet the standard in different ways to suit their unique circumstances, but there are some quality markers:
2.
Quality Area 2 – Children’s health and safety
Being healthy helps your child actively participate in a learning environment. Educators and other staff must take every reasonable step to protect your child from harm and hazards, illnesses and injuries, and children must be adequately supervised at all times.
Your child will be given daily opportunities to be physically active and practice new skills, both indoors and outdoors.
QA 2 supports your child’s wellbeing. When children have a strong sense of wellbeing, they feel secure and can be fully engaged in learning. Depending on your child’s age, educators will help them learn about healthy lifestyles including nutrition, hygiene, physical fitness, emotions and social relationships.
Some quality markers are:
3.
Quality Area 3 – Physical environment
Our services design their indoor and outdoor spaces to provide accessible and age-appropriate opportunities for each child to learn, play and develop their skills. Our premises are all purpose-built. Furniture and equipment can be used in creative ways to meet children’s needs, ensuring the environment is also safe.
The physical environment needs to promote inclusiveness, so that each and every child can take part in play and learning. Educators plan spaces that support children to become physically competent, to explore their environment independently, and to learn through play.
Some quality markers:
4.
Quality Area 4 – Staffing arrangements
Our educators and staff at our service play a critical role in your child’s learning and development. The NQF has requirements for the qualifications of educators.
Legal requirements for educator to child ratios ensure adequate supervision for safety, welfare and wellbeing of children, including excursions, and allow each child’s learning and development needs to be met. The ratios are different depending on the age of the children, and some states and territory have different requirements.
A service’s quality also improves when staff practice open and transparent communication.
Some quality markers:
5.
Quality Area 5 – Relationships with children
All children need to know that others care about them, and are interested in what they do, think and feel. This is essential for their wellbeing, learning and development.
Educators are responsible for developing positive relationships with every child by being responsive to and respectful of their needs and ideas. Their interactions should be warm and meaningful, building trust and self-esteem. The goal is for your child to feel secure, confident and included.
Children will be supported to build strong positive relationships with each other. When children play and learn together, they can build their skills in problem-solving, negotiation and decision-making.
Your child’s educators should be role models for children by demonstrating and encouraging positive behaviour and the development of strong relationships.
Some quality markers:
2.
6.
Quality Area 6 – Collaborative partnerships with families and communities
You are your child’s first teacher and their biggest influence. Research shows that the quality of education and care children receive is enhanced when families and educators develop respective, supportive relationships and work in partnership.
Your child’s service should also work to engage with the local community to build your child’s sense of belonging in the wider world.
You should start by telling the educators about your child’s interests, strengths and abilities and give them regular feedback about how well their program is meeting your child’s needs.
Some quality markers:
7.
Quality Area 7 – Governance and Leadership
Effective leadership and service management contributes to a positive workplace culture and a safe and healthy learning environment for children. Governance refers to the systems in place that support the effective management and operation of the service, consistent with the service’s statement of philosophy.
To achieve the best outcomes for children and families, a service requires a skilled and engaged workforce, thorough administrative and risk management systems, well documented policies and procedures, and a safe and healthy learning environment for children.
A service with an ongoing cycle of self-assessment, planning and review, including engagement with families, creates the climate for continuous quality improvement in children’s education and care.
Some quality markers:
Smartland’s aim is to exceed the national quality standard across all areas of our service and each centre has a Quality Improvement Plan(QIP) in place to show what is happening in our centre to achieve this. This will look at areas such as educational programs and practice, children’s health and safety, physical environment, staffing arrangements, relationships with children and collaborative partnerships with families and communities.
For more information in regards to the National Quality Framework, please speak to the Centre Manager or you can also find more information on the website:Â www.acecqa.gov.au
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