PARTNERING WITH PARENTS IN EARLY LEARNING Take a look inside any children’s service and you will see children actively playing, interacting, exploring and learning, guided by qualified educators. Children’s services plan and provide play-based programs to support children’s development and learning. The educators draw on a range of information including essential documents such as The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (EYLF) and the National
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Quality Framework (NQF) to provide stimulating programs that extend each child’s learning. However, their first and most important source of information is each child’s family. Families hold crucial knowledge about their children, their culture and community. This wisdom is acknowledged in the guiding principles of the NQF which states “…families are children’s first and most influential teachers” (ACECQA 2020). Children’s services are motivated to collaborate with families to gain a richer understanding of each child and their family context and to effectively support children’s learning and development.
