As a parent, it's important to know that our children go to childcare to not only be nurtured, cared for, and loved in a way that only an educator knows how, but they're being educated to the highest standard possible. In fact, it is one of the most important reasons a parent chooses a childcare service, along with costs, learning philosophy, and of course, the facilities, just to name a few.
We all know by now that childcare has come a long way from minding. It's education.
The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed that the Australian as well as the state and territory governments would work together on a National Quality Agenda (NQA) for the ECEC sector.
NQA and EYLF connection
The NQA and EYLF are both key factors in the Australian government's approach to the ECEC. While they're separate initiatives, they come together to improve the quality of early childhood education and care across Australia. The NQA is a joint effort between the Australian federal, state, and territory governments. It aims to enhance the quality of the ECEC sector for all Australians. It sets a high, national standard, ensuring consistent quality and safety practices.
The EYLF on the other hand, is a curriculum framework that guides early childhood educators in their service. It focuses on children from 0-5 years of age and outlines principles, practices, and learning outcomes that support the holistic development of children.
The NQA and the EYLF connect with their shared focus on quality early childhood education and care.
The NQA sets the standards and regulatory requirements that early childhood services must meet to ensure quality and safety. These standards align with the principles and practices outlined in the EYLF.
Educators use the EYLF as a guide to plan, implement, and assess their programs and interactions with our children. The framework emphasises play-based learning, intentional teaching, and the importance of educators forming positive and respectful relationships with children and their families. By aligning with the EYLF, early childhood services can meet the requirements of the NQA.
The EYLF supports educators in meeting these quality areas by providing a comprehensive framework for high-quality services. The NQA assesses services against seven quality areas.
- Educational program and practice
- Children's health and safety
- Physical environment
- Staffing arrangements
- Relationships with children
- Partnerships with families and communities
- Governance and leadership
The impact of the NQA
So, how did the NQA impact the sector? It can be said that there were mostly good things to come from the changes implemented by the NQA. It raised the bar for professional development and quality standards as well as increased accountability and transparency through the sector. We unpack a few of those key impacts below.
Accountability and Transparency
With the implementation of the NQA, childcare services had to become more accountable for their practices. It introduced a wide range of governing measures, including regular assessments, inspections, and compliance requirements. This amplified accountability as well as transparency and ensured services met the required standards, providing a safer and more suitable environment.
Improvement of quality
The NQA established a unified quality framework that set clear expectations for childcare services nationally. It introduced the National Quality Standards (NQS), which comprises seven quality areas, as outlined above. This focus on quality improvement caused many childcare services to take a deeper look at their services and enhance their practices to strive for higher standards.
Assessment and Rating process
The NQA introduced this comprehensive assessment, better known throughout the sector as the A&R for childcare services. Services are assessed against the NQS, and ratings are provided based on their performance. These ratings are made publicly available and you can see them on each listing across the Care for Kids website, allowing parents to make better-informed choices about the quality of childcare services they’re looking to enrol their children to.
Ratings include:
- Exceeding National Quality Standard
- Meeting National Quality Standards
- Working Towards National Quality Standard
Find out more about ratings on Care for Kids
Qualifications and professional development
The NQA has emphasised the importance of professional development. It encourages ongoing training and upskilling for staff, promoting a higher level of expertise and knowledge and a deeper level of understanding of children's development within the sector. This focus has helped to improve the skills and competencies of educators, benefiting the quality of care provided to children and the overall skill level in the sector.
Parental engagement
The importance of partnerships between childcare services and families hasn’t been stronger since the implementation of the NQA. It recognises parents as active participants in their child's education and care rather than their childcare and home days as separate entities. Services were encouraged to involve parents in decision-making processes, seek their input, and provide regular communication about their child's development and progress. The focus on parent engagement adopted stronger relationships between parents and educators, leading to more collaborative and supportive environments for children.
Sector consolidation and collaboration
We did say mostly good things! The implementation of the NQA prompted swift changes within the childcare sector. Smaller services faced strong challenges and some struggled to meet the increased regulatory requirements. This led to consolidation and eventually, some closures. It encouraged collaboration and networking among services, which led to them sharing resources, expertise, and best practices to improve quality outcomes.
To find out more about the Early Years Learning Framework, visit ACEQUA and check out their fact sheets or speak to your childcare provider to see how they rate on the NQS.
