Table 6 Explanation of the terminology used in this paper
Term | Abbreviation | Explanation (as stated at ACECQA’S website) |
|---|---|---|
Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority | ACECQA | Works with all governments to provide guidance, resources and services to support the sector to improve outcomes for children |
National Quality Framework | NQF | Provides a national approach to regulation, assessment and quality improvement for early childhood education and care and outside school hours care services across Australia |
National Quality Standard | NQS | Ssets a high national benchmark for early childhood education and care and outside school hours care services in Australia |
Quality Area | QA | The 7 quality areas of the NQS (QA1: Educational programme and practice, QA2: Children’s health and safety, QA3: Physical environment, QA4: Staffing arrangements, QA5: Relationships with children, QA6: Collaborative partnerships with families and communities, QA7: Governance and leadership |
Quality Improvement Plan | QIP | The aim of a QIP is to help providers self-assess their performance in delivering quality education and care and to plan future improvements A QIP must:  •Include an assessment of the programmes and practices at the service against the National Quality Standard and National Regulations;  •Identify areas for improvement;  •Include a statement about the service’s philosophy A QIP should also document and celebrate the service's strengths |
Assessment and Rating report | A&R | Is a written record of the discussions and recommendations that happened during the service assessment |
Early Years Learning Framework | EYLF | The National Framework for early childhood education in Australia |