At Eikoh Seminar, the Early Years Learning Framework is at the core of everything we do across our childcare centres. The EYLF ensures that children in early education receive the quality teaching and learning they deserve.
For parents, understanding the EYLF is helpful because it provides a clear outline of what's followed and practised in approved childcare centres across Australia. We've put together this guide to explain the EYLF in plain language, including the values, principles, practices, and outcomes it supports.
What is the EYLF?
Under the National Quality Framework (NQF), the EYLF is a nationally approved learning framework that guides the learning and development of young children from birth to 5 years. The framework was first developed in 2009 and was updated in 2022.
There is also a separate nationally approved learning framework for school-age children, called My Time, Our Place: Framework for School Age Care in Australia.
The interesting thing about the EYLF is that it isn't a guide or set of instructions. It doesn't tell educators what to do. Instead, it asks educators to reflect and use professional judgement to inform how they nurture and encourage children in their early years. The framework sets out the goals, principles, and practices, then trusts educators to apply them in context.
Belonging, Being, Becoming
The framework's vision is built on three concepts: Belonging, Being, and Becoming.
Belonging
We all want to belong, and finding that sense of identity starts in childhood, when relationships with family, friends, and educators are formed. Children's sense of belonging shapes who they are and who they will become.
Being
By focusing on "being" and living in the present, the EYLF encourages children to enjoy the here and now, rather than getting caught up in the future. Childhood is a time of being, of building relationships with self, others, and the world.
Becoming
The goal of childcare is for children to grow into valued members of communities, with their own identities and beliefs. Early childhood is when children learn to become their own person, embracing themselves and others.
The eight principles
The EYLF's eight principles are values and beliefs that children, families, and educators learn to understand throughout the childcare journey. Educators and families can encourage children's learning and development by:
- Building strong, respectful, and reciprocal relationships
- Forming partnerships between educators and families
- Holding high expectations for every child
- Respecting and valuing diversity, including First Nations cultures
- Engaging in equity, inclusion, and high expectations for every child
- Continually engaging in critical reflection on practice
- Respecting and supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives
- Building sustainability into how the centre operates
The five learning outcomes
All childcare professionals work to achieve the EYLF's five learning outcomes. You can think of the outcomes as the goalposts that educators direct children towards over their time in early learning.
1. Children have a strong sense of identity
During their time in early learning, young children develop a strong sense of who they are and who they're becoming. They feel safe, secure, and supported as they develop relationships and find their independence.
2. Children are connected with and contribute to their world
In learning communities, children learn respect for other people and the environment. They begin to act with fairness and responsibility.
3. Children have a strong sense of wellbeing
The EYLF fosters strong social and emotional wellbeing. Children learn to take care of their physical and mental health and understand the wellbeing of others.
4. Children are confident and involved learners
A huge part of growing up is practising curiosity, enthusiasm, and commitment, with confidence. The EYLF supports children to engage actively in their own learning.
5. Children are effective communicators
Communication isn't only about words. Children develop skills in listening, sharing ideas, expressing emotions, using symbols, and engaging with media and technology.
How this looks in our centres
Each of our four centres applies the EYLF in its own way:
- At Normanhurst, programmes start from each child's interests, observations, and family input rather than from set themes. The Emergent Curriculum approach is fully aligned with the EYLF principles.
- At St Ives Chase, the Reggio-inspired practice complements the EYLF, with documentation of children's thinking as a central feature.
- At Roseville, the preschool programme prepares children for school through play-based learning that meets the EYLF outcomes.
- At West Ryde, four rooms cover the full birth-to-school journey, with the EYLF guiding the developmental focus in each room.
If you're ready to set your child up with the skills they'll carry with them for life, enrol them in an Eikoh centre and watch them grow.