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Working Towards the Australian National Quality Standard for ECEC: what do we know? Where should we go?

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Abstract

The most recent data from the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) present good news; 79% of Australia’s Early Childhood Education and Care services are now meeting the National Quality Standard (NQS). Yet one in five services remain below standard. Understanding the context and characteristics of these services, and those of their workforce, and identifying features that distinguish them from services meeting the NQS are the first step in directing quality improvement supports. We compared services rated Working Towards with those Meeting or Exceeding the standard, through analysis of two discrete datasets: (1) ACECQA snapshots providing service data and (2) The Early Years Workforce Study providing data on educators and educator experience. We identified distinguishing structural characteristics and relational factors within services rated Working Towards. Based on the findings, strategic directions for bringing the last 21% of services across the line to meet the National Quality Standard are detailed.

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Acknowledgements

The Early Year Workforce Study (EYWS) provided survey data for this work. The EYWS was funded by the Australian Research Council under the Linkage Scheme (ARC LP14100652) with partners Goodstart Early Learning, Childcare and Kindergarten Association, Queensland and the Department of Education, Queensland. The ELWS team thanks the ECEC services, staff and organisations that supported this study by giving generously of their time in participating. The EYWS team includes Professor Karen Thorpe (University of Queensland), Professors Sue Irvine, Paul McDonald and Joanne Lunn (Queensland University of Technology 0 and Professor Jennifer Sumsion (Charles Sturt University).

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  1. Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

    Karen Thorpe, Emily Westwood, Ryan Menner, Sandy Houen & Sally Staton

  2. Institute of Psychology, Alpen-Adria University, Klagenfurt, Austria

    Elena Jansen

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  1. Karen Thorpe
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Correspondence to Karen Thorpe.

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Thorpe, K., Westwood, E., Jansen, E. et al. Working Towards the Australian National Quality Standard for ECEC: what do we know? Where should we go?. Aust. Educ. Res. 48, 227–247 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-020-00387-8

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