Early childhood resource guide

This page gathers resources that early childhood teachers can use to improve their practice, align their work to national Standards, and access professional learning. Resources are also included for leaders of early childhood education settings.

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Many national initiatives and policies in Australia are aimed at supporting all teachers, including those in early childhood contexts.

National frameworks for early childhood teaching

The following national frameworks support quality early childhood teaching to ensure quality outcomes for all young children.

The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers

The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (the Standards) are a public statement of what constitutes teacher quality. They are aimed at all teachers, including early childhood teachers and other teachers based in non-school settings.

The Standards consist of seven standards, which teachers will meet at differing levels depending on their career stage and level of experience. Teachers need to evidence certain requirements of the Standards to become a registered teacher or achieve Highly Accomplished and Lead certification.

The glossary below will help early childhood teachers apply the Standards to their practice.

Term	Explanation
Student	Learners, including: Students taught by a teacher in a school Children taught by a teacher in an early childhood setting Students/children taught by a teacher in other education settings
School	Education settings, including: Schools Early childhood education and care services Other locations where teaching and learning occurs
Lesson	Learning, including: Lessons taught by a teacher in a school Learning opportunities taught by a teacher in an early childhood setting Lessons or learning opportunities taught by a teacher in other education settings
Classroom	Physical environment where learning takes place, including: Classrooms in schools Rooms in early childhood education and care services Other areas where teaching and learning occurs

Apply the NQF to your practice

The Guide to the National Quality Framework (acecqa.gov.au) helps education and care providers, educators, and regulatory authorities, including authorised officers, understand and apply the requirements of the NQF.

NQF snapshots (acecqa.gov.au) provides analysis and information on the profile of the sector and the quality ratings of services, including by service and provider management type.

Educators. My Time, Our Place. Educators’ Guide to the Framework for school age care in Australia (acecqa.gov.au) was developed to support the professional practice of those who are responsible for the interactions, experiences, routines and events, planned and unplanned that occur in a school-age care environment designed to foster children’s wellbeing, development and learning. It focuses on aspects of pedagogy, including building and nurturing relationships, program decision-making, teaching and learning.