The Kindergarten Learning Program
The National Quality Framework
The Commonwealth government has laid the foundation for kindergarten learning programs through the introduction of the National Quality Framework (NQF) in 2012 The National Quality Framework encourages services to provide high quality and consistent standards of early childhood education and care. The NQF includes:
- a national legislative framework
- a National Quality Standard
- an assessment and rating system
- a regulatory authority in each state or territory who have responsibility for the approval, monitoring and quality assessment of services
- a national body responsible for providing oversight of the new system and ensuring consistency- Australian Children’s Education and care Quality Authority (ACECQA)
Services are assessed and rated against the seven quality areas covering 18 standards. Tamborine Mountain Community Kindergarten was assessed in late 2015 and received Meeting the Standard in four areas and Exceeding the Standard in three.
Early Years Learning Framework
At kindy our curriculum and practice acknowledges the national Early Years Learning Framework.The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) for Australia,: Belonging, Being, Becoming is aimed at extending and enriching children’s learning from birth to 5 years. The framework provides a broad direction for early childhood educators, such as kindergarten settings, to facilitate children’s learning and guide curriculum decisions. The Framework sees curriculum as encompassing all the interactions, experiences, routines, events, planned and unplanned that occur in an environment designed to foster children’s learning and development. The Framework supports a model of curriculum decision making as an ongoing cycle and comprises three inter-related elements of Principles, Practice and Learning Outcomes. In Queensland, the Early Years Learning Framework complements the Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guideline.
Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guideline
The kindergarten program is designed using the Queensland Kindergarten Guidelines, accredited kindergarten curriculum by the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority The guideline describes a set of five learning and development areas that relate to the five broad learning outcomes identified in the EYLF:
- Children have a strong sense of identity
- Children are connected with and contribute to their world
- Children have a strong sense of wellbeing
- Children are confident and involved learners
- Children are effective communicators
Children will experience many opportunities to explore, solve problems, develop friendships, imagine, use their creativity and extend their capabilities in language, literacy and numeracy.
More information about Queensland Kindergarten Guidelines is available from https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/kindergarten/qklg
Information on Kindergarten Program and Kindy Counts Campaign can be found below:
https://earlychildhood.qld.gov.au/early-years/kindergarten
You will see how your child’s learning journey is linked to these frameworks through information in their portfolio and through our monthly newsletter.
RESOURCES
Belonging, being and becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework For Australia
Tamborine Mountain Community Kindergarten 