Governments across Australia have engaged Macquarie University, Queensland University of Technology and Edith Cowan University to lead the 2021 National Quality Framework Approved Learning Frameworks Update project. The aim is to ensure the ongoing currency and relevance of the two Approved Learning Frameworks (ALFs):
- Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (EYLF)
- My Time, Our Place: Framework for School Age Care in Australia (MTOP).
The Approved Learning Frameworks Update project website is live and Stage 1 of this 13-month project is now open. In this first stage, we are seeking your feedback on gaps, silences and potential areas for updating in both ALFs.
Please complete the survey that fits your workplace—Early childhood education and care (EYLF) or Outside school hours care (MTOP).
The surveys are easy to complete, as teacher and trainer Molly attests:
Many of us in the education and care sector know that a review of the two frameworks is occurring this year, as we have been informed and have seen the opportunity to participate through marketing on various platforms.
This is OUR time to critically reflect on our profession, the reason we do what we do, the story that informs our identity as professionals and, quite possibly, the story of thousands of children’s tomorrows.
I urge everyone to take around 8–12 minutes to complete the survey, like I did. It was easy to navigate and understand. The survey afforded opportunities to provide comments; however, comments were not required to progress through the survey. This is your chance to have a voice, invite colleagues and families to join in and to feel proud of being an active agent of change, advocating for the future landscape of the education and care profession. You have the distinguished opportunity right now to say, ‘I was a part of that’.
The information gathered from the surveys will inform the development of a discussion paper (Stage 2), which will further inform the recommendations for updating the EYLF and MTOP (Stage 3). This is your platform to contribute to the updating of our two national ALFs, ensuring that these continue to be grounded in contemporary research and practice wisdom.
Please also share the surveys with your colleagues and the families you work with and encourage them to get involved. To assist with this, download the flyer or share the website link.
This blog piece was authored by consortium partners: Fay Hadley and Linda Harrison from Macquarie University, Sue Irvine and Francis Bobongie-Harris from Queensland University of Technology, Lennie Barblett from Edith Cowan University, and Jennifer Cartmel (Griffith University)