National Quality Framework
Educational program and practice
What the NQF means for you
The National Quality Framework( NQF) for Early Childhood Education and Care helps ensure your child is given the best possible start in life.
The NQF has quality standards to improve education and care across long day care, family day care, preschools, kindergartens and outside school hours care services.
Benefits for families
• greater individual care and attention for children
• better support for children’ s learning and development
• educators with increased skills and qualifications
• improved educator to child ratios in most services
• a new rating system of education and care services.
New quality rating system
The National Quality Standard is part of the NQF. It sets a higher benchmark for all children’ s education and care services across Australia.
Your service will be given a rating for each of these seven quality areas, and an overall rating.
Children’ s health and safety
Physical environment
Staffing arrangements
Relationships with children
Partnerships with families and communities
Leadership and service management
Ratings against the National Quality Standard Your child’ s service will most likely receive one of the three middle ratings below.
The assessment and rating system has been designed so families and educators understand what quality education and care is, and that quality will grow and develop – this is continuous improvement.
You can be assured that services take health and safety seriously. Your child’ s safety and health are important all day, every day.
RATED
WORKING
TOWARDS
NATIONAL QUALITY STANDARD
RATED
MEETING
NATIONAL QUALITY STANDARD
EXCEEDING
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