The Early Years Learning Framework is part of the Council of Australian Government’s (COAG) reform agenda for early childhood education and care and is a key component of the Australian Government’s National Quality Framework for early childhood education and care. It underpins universal access to early childhood education and has been incorporated in the National Quality Standard in order to ensure delivery of nationally consistent and quality early childhood education across sectors and jurisdictions.

The Early Years Learning Framework describes the principles, practice and outcomes essential to support and enhance young children’s learning from birth to five years of age, as well as their transition to school.  The Framework has a strong emphasis on play-based learning as play is the best vehicle for young children’s learning providing the most appropriate stimulus for brain development. The Framework also recognises the importance of communication and language (including early literacy and numeracy) and social and emotional development.

Development of the Early Years Learning Framework

The Early Years Learning Framework has been developed collaboratively by the Australian and State and Territory Governments with substantial input from the early childhood sector and early childhood academics. The Framework has incorporated feedback from an extensive consultation process, including two national symposiums, national public consultation forums, focus groups, an online forum and case-study trials.

Implementation

On 2 July 2009, COAG endorsed the Early Years Learning Framework. The Australian Government has provided copies of the Early Years Learning Framework and Families’ Guide to early childhood services across Australia.

It is expected that, each early childhood service will develop their own strategy to implement the Framework, taking their own unique context into consideration.

An Educators’ Guide to the Early Years Learning Framework, to support implementation of the Early Years Learning Framework, was released on 6 December 2010. Hard copies of the Educators’ Guide, along with a CD of resources, were delivered to early childhood services in February 2011.

A suite of Practice Based Resources for the Early Years Learning Framework has been developed for the Australian Government by Community Child Care Cooperative Ltd (NSW). These resources will support early childhood educators, including those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, to use the EYLF in their everyday practice. The resources were distributed to all early childhood education and care services in September 2012.

Copies of the EYLF Practice Based Resources, the Early Years Learning Framework and the Families’ Guide, are now available for download.

EYLF support and training

The Professional Support Coordinators (PSC) and the Indigenous Professional Support Unit (IPSU) networks in each state and territory are delivering training and mentoring services to Australian Government funded services to support their implementation of the EYLF.

For enquiries about training on the Early Years Learning Framework the contact details for the PSC and IPSU in your region are listed below.

PSC

QLD PSC

Health and Community Service Workforce Council Inc
Phone: 1800 112 585 (toll free)

NSW PSC

Children's Services Central
Phone: 1800 157 818 (toll free)

WA PSC

Child Inclusive Learning and Development Australia Inc
Phone: 1800 783 768 (toll free)

SA PSC

Lady Gowrie Child Centre Inc
Phone: 1800 129 606 (toll free)

NT PSC

Child Inclusive Learning and Development Australia Inc
Phone: 1800 138 662 (toll free)

ACT PSC

Communities at WorkPhone: 1800 228 772 (toll free)

VIC PSC

Gowrie Victoria
Phone: 1800 103 670 (toll free)

TAS PSC

Lady Gowrie Child Centre Hobart
Phone: 1800 647 718 (toll free)

IPSU

QLD IPSU

Queensland Council of Social Services IncIndigenous Children's Services Unit
Phone: 1800 110 869 (toll free)

NSW IPSU (including ACT)

Lady Gowrie Child Centre
Phone: 1800 450 472 (toll free)

WA IPSU

Yorganop Association Incorporated
Phone: 1800 788 520 (toll free)

SA IPSU

Network SA, Aboriginal Resource and Management Support Unit
Phone: 1800 679 199 (toll free)

NT IPSU

NorthRegional and Remote Aboriginal Children and Services Support Unit (RRACSSU)
Phone: 1800 890 133 (toll free)

NT IPSU

Central Regional and Remote Aboriginal Children and Services Support Unit (RRACSSU)
Phone: 1800 760 036 (toll free)

VIC IPSU

Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Inc (VAEAI)
Phone: 1800 103 394 (toll free)

TAS IPSU

Lady Gowrie Child Centre Hobart
Phone: 1800 647 718 (toll free)

Early Childhood Australia EYLF Professional Learning Program

The Early Years Learning Framework Professional Learning Program (EYLF PLP), was developed for the Australian Government by Early Childhood Australia in 2010, to provide ongoing professional support to services as they engage in the EYLF implementation process. The program has recently been updated and expanded from the Early Years Learning Framework Professional Learning Program (EYLF PLP) to the National Quality Standard Professional Learning Program (NQS PLP). The NQS PLP has all the features of the EYLF PLP, along with a new focus to assist services to meet the National Quality Standard.

To find out more information and to keep up to date with progress please visit our NQS Professional Learning Program page.

Invitation to join the EYLF PLP online Forum

Early childhood care and education professionals now have access to an online interactive Early Years Learning Framework Professional Learning Program (EYLF PLP) Forum, where they can raise questions, share ideas and simply interact with other educators implementing the EYLF in their services. The online Forum has also recently been updated and expanded to become the National Quality Standard PLP (NQS PLP) Forum. High-calibre early childhood experts and practitioners from across Australia are available on the Forum to respond to questions, and conduct topical discussion—about issues raised by educators via the Forum and the NQS PLP Facebook page—regarding the implementation of the EYLF and NQS in services.

We invite you to use the NQS PLP online Forum to share and discuss your experiences about the implementation of the EYLF and the NQS . This is a very real opportunity to utilise the capacity of the Internet to underwrite reform in early childhood services.

Be a part of the Forum

Key Documents

• Belonging, Being and Becoming - The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia
• Educators’ Guide to the Early Years Learning Framework
• Belonging, Being and Becoming - The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia- Information for Families
• Early Years Learning Framework Bookmark - Early childhood services are encouraged to print and distribute to parents and families.

Translations of Belonging, Being and Becoming - The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia - Information for Families are available in the following languages:

• Arabic
• Assyrian*
• Bosnian*
• Burmese*
• Chinese*
• Croatian*
• Dari*
• Dinka*
• Hindi*
• Khmer*
• Korean*
• Macedonian*
• Persian*
• Serbian*
• Somali*
• Spanish*
• Tagalog*
• Thai*
• Turkish*
• Vietnamese*

* If you are experiencing difficulties accessing the translated Early Years Learning Framework Families Guide please contact 13 36 84.

Practice Based Resources for the EYLF

• Living Practice with the Early Years Learning Framework
• Connecting with Families - Bringing the Early Years Learning Framework to life in your community
• Living the Early Years Learning Framework Everyday – Team Meeting Package
• Postcards
• Posters
• Developmental Milestones and the EYLF and NQS
• Team Meeting Presentation

Living Practice with the EYLF – Translations

• Arabic
• Croatian
• Hindi
• Korean
• Macedonian
• Malay
• Simplified Chinese
• Spanish
• Turkish
• Vietnamese

Connecting with Families – Translations

• Arabic
• Croatian
• Hindi
• Korean
• Macedonian
• Malay
• Simplified Chinese
• Spanish
• Turkish
• Vietnamese

Posters – Translations

• Arabic
• Croatian
• Hindi
• Korean
• Macedonian
• Malay
• Simplified Chinese
• Spanish
• Turkish
• Vietnamese

Postcards – Translations

• Arabic
• Croatian
• Hindi
• Korean
• Macedonian
• Malay
• Simplified Chinese
• Spanish
• Turkish
• Vietnamese

Supporting Documents

• Early Years Learning Framework Fact Sheet
• A Research Paper to inform the development of An Early Years Learning Framework for Australia - June 2008
• Analysis of Curriculum/ Learning Frameworks for the Early Years Literature Review (Birth to 8) - April 2008
• Analysis of Curriculum/ Learning Frameworks for the Early Years (Birth to 8) Appendices - April 2008
• Discussion paper - A National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care- August 2008

* If you are seeking additional copies of Respect, Reflect, Relate: Assessing for Learning and Development in the Early Years using Observation Scales, which was distributed with the Educators’ Guide to the EYLF, please see the Government of South Australia Department for Education and Child Development Early Years website.