National Quality Standards for Child Care
Educational Philosophy
Countless Australian parents rely on supervised childcare to support them as they work or prepare to re-enter the workforce. In 2022, an estimated 1.275 million children aged 5 and under attended an approved childcare service, encompassing nearly 70 percent of all children aged 0 to 5 in the country.
As an approved childcare service operating within the Early Childhood sector, our responsibilities extend far beyond basic caregiving. Our approach encompasses a holistic perspective, aiming to address every facet of a child’s development. By seamlessly integrating curriculum, quality standards, and community engagement, we create an optimal learning environment for each child under our care.
The significance of learning experiences during these formative years cannot be overstated. This phase plays a pivotal role in shaping a child’s cognitive, emotional, and social development, laying the groundwork for lifelong learning, health, and behaviour. This fundamental understanding drives the Kids Club’s philosophy, rooted in the dedication of skilled Educators and unwavering support staff who are committed to providing your child with the best possible foundation for their future.
What is the National Quality Framework
for Child Care?
Introduced by the government in January 2012, the National Quality Framework – often referred to as the NQF – serves as a regulatory and evaluative authority overseeing the quality of early childhood education and care services in Australia.
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High quality education and care
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Consistent Quality Standards
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Number of Educators who are highly skilled and qualified
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Better support for children’s learning and holistic development
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Promotes strong partnerships with families and Educators
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Continuous quality improvement
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Ensuring children’s health and safety
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The quality of developmental and learning experiences for children
Developed by the Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority (ACECQA), an autonomous national body, this framework collaborates with Federal, State, and Territory Governments to administer its provisions.
The NQF contains the National Quality Standards (or NQS), Early Years Learning Framework (or EYLF), Rating System and Quality Improvement Plan (or QIP).
Why is the National Quality Framework Important?
The purpose of the NQF is to provide childcare providers with invaluable guidance on delivering high-quality care and education for children to thrive, elevate the standard of Early Childhood Education and promote continuous improvement in service quality.
Within this framework sits the National Quality Standards (NQS), which includes 7 quality areas that every provider must follow to ensure they are meeting or exceeding the expected benchmark for childcare in Australia.
Quality Area 1
Educational Program and Practice
This area focuses on ensuring the care provider’s educational program and practice is stimulating, engaging and enhances children’s learning and development.
How we approach this at Kids Club:
Through child-led learning and education our warm and friendly educators deliver a stimulating and engaging education program that nurtures life skills.
Quality Area 2
Children's Health & Safety
All centres and staff must demonstrate their methods of protecting all children’s health, safety and well-being, which are assessed in this quality area.
How we approach this at Kids Club:
Physical Health, Nutrition and Wellbeing are our top priority. Healthy food and activities are at the centre of physical and mental wellbeing for our little ones.
Quality Area 3
Physical Environment
The approved provider must ensure that the premises and equipment used in the care facility are safe, clean and in good repair to provide a rich and diverse range of experiences that promote children’s learning and development.
How we approach this at Kids Club:
Our award winning premium playscapes and learning environments encourage creative and exploratory play, drawing on the natural environment.
Quality Area 4
Staffing Arrangements
This area looks at the staff numbers and deployment of suitable qualified, and experienced Educators, coordinators and supervisors and their capability to develop warm, respectful relationships with the children.
How we approach this at Kids Club:
We employ highly experienced educators and provide ongoing opportunities for professional development.
Quality Area 5
Relationships With Children
Here, the assessor looks at how the provider takes reasonable steps to ensure that the children being educated and cared for are given opportunities to interact and develop respectful and positive relationships with each other and with the staff members.
How we approach this at Kids Club:
We focus on the foundations for building relationships in enhancing confidence and resilience in a space where children feel safe and secure.
Quality Area 6
Collaborative Partnerships with Families & Communities
This area examines how the provider collaborates with families and the community to build critical partnerships that achieve quality outcomes for the children.
How we approach this at Kids Club:
We focus on family engagement and community collaboration by instilling a sense of belonging through community partnerships and family days.
Quality Area 7
Governance & Leadership
This area looks for effective leadership and management that creates a positive organisational culture by empowering others, recognising and addressing conflict, and managing changes that improve the children’s learning and development.
How we approach this at Kids Club:
Using systems and processes to create a place where staff and children thrive is at the core of effective leadership and continuous improvement.
See the Kids Club experience
for yourself – arrange a visit today!
What Are the NQF Ratings?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the purpose of the National Quality Standards?
Childcare plays a critical role in early years development. As such, it is essential that service providers adhere to a certain quality standard in terms of their provision of service. The NQF was introduced to ensure every provider meets the minimum standards expected in the industry, providing much more than basic care for children but an exceptional learning experience delivered by trained Educators in a safe environment.
What are the main aims of the National Quality Framework?
The primary objectives of the NQF are: to ensure children receive high-quality education and care; support children’s development and well-being; encourage positive relationships between children and Educators; and improve professional development within the childcare sector.
What is the difference between NQS and NQF?
The National Quality Framework (NQF) is a set of regulations all childcare providers in Australia are expected to meet. Within the framework sits the National Quality Standards (NQS), a series of seven quality areas each provider must demonstrate they are following in order to operate. In summary, the National Quality Framework acts as a guide to the National Quality Standards; they are different and yet intrinsic to the childcare quality assurance process.
How many NQF standards are there?
A series of 7 standards make up the National Quality Standards, which underpin the NQF. Childcare providers must demonstrate they are meeting each standard to remain operational. In turn, they receive a quality rating and guidance on how to improve their rating to achieve a higher one if this is applicable (for example, an Excellent rating is the highest available and cannot be improved).
How are early learning childcare centres assessed by the National Quality Framework?
The regulatory authority for the NQF is the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA). Approved education and care services and providers are assessed and rated by their regulatory authority against the NQS and given an overall rating (from each of the 7 quality areas) based on their results.
To assess each education and care services an ACECQA member attends the facility to complete their review. The process involves an observational and visual assessment, plus a discussion with staff members about the learning environment, equipment, team structure and the educational care programme delivered.
Prior to their visit, the assessor gives a notice period of attending, generally within the next week, during which time the care provider submits a Quality Improvement Plan – an ongoing document detailing the quality measures already in place. The assessor reads and refers to this document during their visit.
The assessment commonly takes place over two days. Once completed, the assessor sends their draft report to the care provider within 3-5 weeks. The provider has ten working days to provide feedback on any inaccuracies within the report before it becomes final.
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Why is the assessment process important?
The assessment process provides valuable external feedback to early childhood services, including areas of strength and opportunities for improvement.
How do I know what a centre's rating is?
Ratings for the entire sector are available at startingblocks.gov.au or from the ACEQCA website.
What is the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and how does it relate to the Standards?
The Early Years Learning Framework describes the principles, practice and outcomes essential to support and enhance young children’s learning from birth to five years of age, as well as their transition to school.
Kids Club is continuously working towards excellence in Education and Care.
Belonging, Being and Becoming : The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia, also known as EYLF is an approved learning framework from the NQF.
The EYLF outlines principles, practices and learning outcomes that guide Educational Leaders and Educators on their curriculum decision-making and assist them in planning, delivering and evaluating quality programs in early childhood settings.
Kids Club work tirelessly on providing the best possible support, care and opportunities for growth for your child by aiming to exceed the criteria as outlined in the NQS, supported by the EYLF. Each of our Kids Club centres does this by ensuring that our core values are aligned directly with each quality area and that our staff are continually trained and internally audited to ensure that this exceeding level of care is being applied.
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Where Your Child’s Future Begins
