Our Service Meets the National Quality Standards
in 6 Areas AND IS EXCEEDING IN 1!
We have been rated Meeting National Quality Standard under the National Quality Framework.
The National Quality Standard (NQS) sets a national benchmark for the quality of children’s education and care services across Australia in October 2022. Services are assessed against the NQS by the state or territory regulatory authority and receive a rating for each of the seven quality areas of the NQS, as well as an overall rating.
“An overall rating of Meeting NQS is given to services that provide quality education and care in all seven quality areas,” Director Sharon Fimmano said. "We also achieved EXCEEDING in Quality Area 6. We are extremely proud to be acknowledged in this way, for our commitment to connection with community"
"It was evident during the visit that educators have established nurturing, respectful relationships
with children and families, which is consistent with the service philosophy. Educators viewed children
as confident and capable learners, promoting their agency, and working collaboratively to plan and
implement a program that supported a child led, play-based approach to learning. Educators were
observed enthusiastically engaging in play with the children across the service, while educators in
the Babies area were observed engaging with children in a gentle and calm manner." (Assessor commented)
The National Quality Framework (NQF) for early childhood education and care was agreed by all Australian governments to get better educational and development outcomes for children using education and care services. Implementation of the NQF is guided by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA).
To find out more information about the NQF and service ratings, visit the ACECQA website or ACECQA’s family focused website, Starting Blocks.
Children’s Program
Children who attend our Centre participate in a range of activities that emerge from the children’s interests and have been planned to meet their developmental needs. Educators are using the EARLY YEARS LEARNING FRAMEWORK to base our understandings and planning on. The staff are responsible for creating an environment which meets the physical, emotional, intellectual, social and special needs of each child.
THE EARY YEARS LEARNING FRAMEWORK
During your time in early education and care services, it is highly likely that you will come across the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF).
The educators will communicate, document your child’s learning observations, and refer to the EYLF. There is a reason for this – the EYLF is the basis for everything we do in Early Childhood education and care!
The EYLF was developed in 2009 as a result of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) and is based on conclusive national and international evidence as to the importance of early childhood.
It aims to assist educators in providing young children with opportunities to maximise their learning and provide a foundation for future success. This ties in with the COAG vision that
“All children have the best start in life to create a better future for themselves and for the nation.”
“Childhood is a time to be, to seek and make meaning of the world” – EYLF
EYLF carries three main themes which you may see displayed in the Kids Club Early Childhood Learning centres:
- Belonging
- Being
- Becoming
The three EYLF themes are central to how build relationships and interact with children in our care, the natural, educational environment in which they play in, and how we plan for future learning experiences.
“Knowing where and with whom you belong is integral to human existence” – EYLF
The EYLF is made up of learning outcomes and principles and practices which educators use in their documentation of children’s learning and in their reflection and planning.
There are five EYLF learning outcomes and what this looks like at Annie's Angels Play And Development Centre:
1. Children have a strong sense of identity
2. Children are connected with and contribute to their world
3. Children have a strong sense of wellbeing
4. Children are confident and involved learners
5. Children are effective communicators
The five learning outcomes are important lifelong goals for children, to provide your child with the best start for their future. Our educators implement these outcomes to plan for children’s learning and ensure they have covered all learning opportunities to further their development. These aims and outcomes are reflected in the end-of-year development summaries. We also capture teachable moments on our OWNA app which families find very helpful and engaging.
Educators are not only guided by the 5 Learning Outcomes, but also by the Principles, Practices and Learning Environments of the EYLF:
As you can see, the EYLF provides educators with a comprehensive framework under which to operate. Many terms from the learning outcomes, principles and practices may come up when speaking to educators or reading through documentation. The EYLF supports a model of curriculum planning as an ongoing cycle that implies working in partnership with families.
So, what does this mean for your child? As a team of educators, we are committed to implementing EYLF into our daily practices and using the principles to guide our decision-making. Your child, therefore, is being given opportunities to develop in each of the five learning outcomes and to promote a lifelong love of learning.
There is also a framework for school-aged children called My Time Our Place although that’s a discussion for another time!
For more information, go to the Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority.
We use OWNA - Download it from the app store TODAY!