Victorian Early Years Framework

“Early childhood professionals are engaged with our children’s needs, day in and day out. As early childhood professionals, advocacy is as crucial as our passion for our work” (Page, Brinkerhoff, Salomone Testa, Marshall, 2016). Early childhood teachers are guided by many policies which advocate for an inclusive high quality education and care service and the rights of a child. Early Childhood Australia along with the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework and The National Quality Framework provide these policies to ensure high standards are set and achieve, that services are available and accessible and that all children’s right are respected.

Early Childhood Australia is the largest organisation in Australia who advocate

The Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework underpins early childhood teachers to work in collaboration with families to support children and embrace diversity. According to Fenech M 2013, quality early childhood education improves brain development and enhances children’s future in life through social experience (Fenech M 2013). The Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework aims to create quality early childhood education through the practice principles for learning and the development and learning outcomes which guide early childhood teachers. The Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework acknowledges that each child learns at different paces. The learning and development outcomes support each child as an individual and are inclusive of all learning styles and approaches working collaboratively with families “…to build continuity across early years’ settings and programs for children from birth to eight years” (State of Victoria Department of Education and Training, 2017, p17). Coming back to the Un Conventions on the rights of a child we know that a child has a right to an education which develops them to their full potential (Convention on the Rights of the Child: Australian Human Rights Commission, 2017).

The objectives of the National Quality Framework in early education settings are; to ensuring safety, health and wellbeing, to improve education and development outcomes, to promote improvement within the sector and to improve public knowledge and access to information. (Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority, 2013, p3) The National Quality Framework consists of a national legislative framework, a National Quality Standard, a national rating assessment, a regulatory authority in each state and the national body of the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority. (Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority, 2013, p4) The National Quality Standards for Australia set “…a new benchmark for high-quality ECEC (Early Childhood Education and Care) by emphasising the importance of educators facilitating learning in play-based programs.” (Barber, Cohrssen & Church, 2014) The National Quality Standard is linked to the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework and Being, Belonging and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia and is comprised of seven quality areas. These areas are; Educational program and practice, children’s health and safety, physical environment, staffing arrangements, relationships with children,