"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."

Nelson Mandela

About ACECQA

ACECQA's mission to enhance the quality and standards of early childhood education and care, thereby shaping the future of society. ACECQA services focus on fostering collaborative partnerships, family engagement, and community involvement.

Collaborative Partnerships

Supportive Relationships: We prioritise developing and maintaining respectful relationships with families, supporting them in their parenting roles. This includes providing current information about our services and relevant community resources to enhance family wellbeing.

Engagement and Involvement: From enrolment, families are encouraged to be actively involved in the service, contributing to decision-making processes. We respect the expertise, culture, values, and beliefs of families, ensuring they share in decisions about their child's learning and wellbeing.

Family Engagement

Information and Resources: We offer resources and information to help families make informed choices about early childhood education and care services. This includes details on service quality, fees, and vacancies, available through our Starting Blocks website.

Complaint Resolution: We provide guidance on resolving complaints related to service quality or breaches of the National Law. Families are encouraged to address issues directly with service providers, but we also offer support for lodging complaints with the Education Standards Board if necessary.

Community Involvement

Community Engagement: Our services aim to build relationships and engage with the community to support children's development. We believe that community partnerships based on active communication and collaboration are essential for achieving quality outcomes for children.

Access and Participation: We support children's access, inclusion, and participation in educational programmes through effective partnerships. This includes facilitating smooth transitions and continuity of learning for each child.

These services are part of our commitment to ensuring high-quality early childhood education and care, aligned with the National Quality Standard's Quality Area 6. We are dedicated to working with families and communities to enhance children's learning and wellbeing.

Research

In 2012 the National Quality Framework (NQF) was introduced to improve the quality of education and care across long day care (LDC), family day care (FDC), preschool/kindergarten (PSK), and outside school hours care (OSHC) services. A key component of the NQF is the National Quality Standard (NQS) comprising of 7 quality areas on which education and care services are measured to determine an overall rating. The Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) works with the Australian and state and territory governments to implement the NQF and support the education and care sector to improve quality outcomes for children.

The figure on the right depicts the model of parents’ priorities for education and care service quality. This depicts the relationship between the NQS quality areas and parents’ quality priorities or those aspects of their child’s wellbeing that impact parents’ education and care service decisions. Importantly, it shows how the 7 areas rated under the NQS relate to the way parents prioritise elements of quality.

FAQs

  • What is ACECQA and what does it do?
    Answer: ACECQA (Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority) is the national body that works with all governments to provide guidance, resources, and services to support the children's education and care sector to improve outcomes for children.

  • What benefits does ACECQA's qualifications assessment service offer?
    Answer: ACECQA's qualifications assessment service ensures that educators' qualifications meet national standards, maintaining a high-quality workforce in the early childhood sector.

  • What are the qualification requirements for working in an approved education and care service in Australia? Answer: The qualification requirements vary depending on the role. ACECQA's website provides detailed information on the requirements for different positions, including early childhood teachers, diploma-level educators, and certificate III level educators.

  • How does ACECQA help ensure quality in early childhood education and care?
     Answer: ACECQA oversees the implementation of the National Quality Framework (NQF), which sets a national benchmark for early childhood education and care services, ensuring consistent, high-quality standards across Australia.

  • What resources does ACECQA provide for families seeking childcare?
    Answer: ACECQA offers the Starting Blocks website, which provides families with information about early childhood education and care, helping them make informed decisions about childcare options and understand what quality care looks like.

  • How does ACECQA support educators in the early childhood sector?
    Answer: ACECQA provides a range of professional development resources, qualification guidelines, and assessment tools to support educators in delivering high-quality care and education.

  • What is the National Quality Standard (NQS) and how does it benefit children?
    Answer: The NQS, administered by ACECQA, sets high standards for early childhood education and care across seven quality areas, ensuring children receive quality education and care that supports their learning and development.

  • How can I check the quality rating of an early childhood service?
    Answer: ACECQA maintains a national register where you can search for and view the quality ratings of approved education and care services, helping families make informed choices.

  • How does ACECQA support continuous improvement in early childhood services?
    Answer: ACECQA provides guidance, resources, and training to help services understand and implement the NQF, fostering a culture of continuous improvement in early childhood education and care.

  • What research initiatives does ACECQA undertake to benefit the sector?
    Answer: ACECQA conducts and commissions research on various aspects of early childhood education and care, providing valuable insights that inform policy and practice to benefit children, families, and educators.

  • How does ACECQA promote family and community engagement in early childhood education?
    Answer: ACECQA emphasises the importance of collaborative partnerships with families and communities as part of the NQS, providing resources and guidance to services on how to effectively engage with families and communities.

  • What role does ACECQA play in supporting the early childhood education workforce?
     Answer: ACECQA offers workforce-related resources, research, and strategies to support the attraction, retention, and development of a high-quality early childhood education and care workforce.

National Quality Framework

Australia’s system for regulating early learning and school age care including: legislation and national quality standard, sector profiles and data, and learning frameworks.