What makes up ECEC industry?

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Australia looks at both formal and informal types of care. These include formal child care, which is provided predominantly through long day care and outside-school-hours care (OSHC), and informal child care, in which families rely on grandparents or other relatives, friends, neighbours or nannies to care for their children. The National Quality Framework, introduced in 2012,  provides a national approach to regulation, assessment and quality improvement for ECEC and OSHC across Australia.

 

The NQF includes National Law and National Regulations, National Quality Standard, assessment and quality rating process and national learning frameworks. The major benefits for parents and children include increased and effective supervision, educators with advanced skills and appropriate qualifications. The 2 nationally approved learning frameworks which outline practices that support and promote children’s learning include Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (EYLF) for children from birth to 5 years of age and My Time, Our Place: Framework for School Age Care in Australia for school age children. The EYLF comprises three inter-related elements: Principles, Practice and Learning Outcomes as they are fundamental to early childhood pedagogy and curriculum decision-making. An independent national authority that assists governments in implementing the NQF is called as The Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) and can be looked up via www.acecqa.gov.au

 

In order to work in accordance to the set guidelines if you plan to work in ECEC industry, it is very crucial to have an insight on the basics of the NQF as it enables educators to address the developmental needs, interests and experiences of each child and their families, while taking into account individual differences. It also important to note that changes to the NQF commenced in 2017 which were put into effect in 2018 in order to ensure quality education and care in Australia continues to improve in the most efficient and effective way.