As per the latest data, Australia has around 13,370 child care services approved by the government. Of these, 8,266 are daycare services, while outside school hours care services number about 4,608.
However, not all childcare centres are the same, as they differ in terms of infrastructure, curriculum, timings, fees, activities on offer and educational approaches.
But every Australian child care centre runs according to the benchmarks set by the National Quality Framework determined by Australia’s Children Education and Care Quality Authority.
The NQF, which came into force in 2012, seeks to improve the quality of education and care in family day care, kindergarten, and outside school hours services.
It brings together seven Quality areas under the National Quality Standard (NQS) and rates a particular daycare according to its ratings in these areas. But what are those seven quality areas, and what do they mean?
What standards must every care provider maintain at all times through which they can get a higher ranking? Read on to find out.
Seven Quality Areas under the NQF
The seven quality areas under the NQF are:
- Educational program and practice.
- Children’s health and safety.
- Physical environment.
- Staffing arrangements.
- Relationships with children.
- Collaborative partnerships with families.
- Governance and leadership.
Of these seven, the first three are of the utmost importance for childcare providers, and here’s a look at each.
Educational Program and Practice
It is the first Area of the National Quality Standard in Australia, which aims to make education engaging, interactive, and stimulating for children. It ensures that the child develops essential life skills and helps them develop relationships.
The childcare should design the curriculum after considering the child’s strengths, ideas, knowledge, abilities, and interests. Its various aspects should increase the child’s learning opportunities.
In turn, the educators should be receptive, forthcoming, and approachable and encourage a culture of feedback, interactions and questions. They should also constantly observe and assess children’s development and inform their families about the rate of progress.
Health and Safety
It comes under Area 2 and aims to safeguard children’s health while decreasing the chances of harm, injury, and infection during their time at the daycare.
The provider must ensure the child’s wellbeing and comfort by providing enough rest, relaxation, and sleep opportunities. They should follow the best practices regarding illness, hygiene and injury management.
The educators should take all possible precautions and supervise the children to protect them against injuries. If there is an incident or emergency, the provider should contact the concerned authorities to provide the instant help required.
Physical environment
All childcare providers in Australia should have a positive, safe, and suitable physical environment, exposing the children to various experiences that encourage learning and development.
The children should have access to outdoor and indoor spaces, fixtures, fittings, and other areas. They should ensure the furniture, equipment, and premises are clean of dirt and grime and well maintained at all times.
The provider should have a cordial, welcoming, loving environment conducive to play-based learning. The service should have sufficient materials, resources and equipment for children to engage in their favourite activities.
They should also teach the children to be environmentally responsible by teaching them the value of plants, why people should plant more trees, and how it contributes to the environment.
Australian child care runs on a set of well-formulated standards known as the National Quality Standard. You must check if the facility meets these standards before admitting your child to them.
