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Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework 

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Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework 

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Dept of Education Bush Kinder Information

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Dept of Education Bush Kinder Information

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Bush Kinder grants program

The Victorian Government is investing $3.6 million over 4 years to enable Bush Kinder programs in 150 kindergartens each year. These $6,000 grants will support more kindergartens to set up nature programs, giving children more opportunity to get outdoors.

The Bush Kinder grants program is currently under development and will open later in 2023. We encourage interested services to visit this page regularly for the most up to date information.

What is Bush Kinder?

Bush kinder programs are educational early learning programs that are held almost exclusively outdoors in a natural environment. They give children more opportunity and greater freedom to play creatively with natural materials and explore nature while staying active and learning through play.

The Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF) and the National Quality Framework (NQF) acknowledge the critical importance of outdoor play for young children's learning, including physical and cognitive development and wellbeing, and ability to assess risk.

Bush kinder video

This shows the positive impact that bush kinder and an outdoor learning environment can have on children.

The short video is a resource for all educators considering incorporating the local natural environment into learning, and for kindergartens considering joining the growing number of services offering a bush kinder program.

Planning for a bush kinder

Services should give careful consideration to the planning and development of a bush kinder program.

This includes:

Consultation and communication with parents and families

Selection of a suitable bush kinder site

Review of service policies and procedures

Risk assessments and program delivery requirements

Development of the Bush Kinder educational program.

Outdoor Pedagogy Portal

To support delivery of outdoor learning in Victoria, all Victorian educators have free access to the .

Aimed at generating inspiring outdoor practice and supporting the diversity within learning environments in our sector, the portal includes:

A professional learning module

Online books

Case studies on outdoor learning.

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Outdoor activities such as exploring natural environments, are beneficial to children's learning outcomes and contribute to improving children's health and wellbeing.

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Parks have a special place in supporting early connections with nature through free, unstructured play outdoors.

The great outdoors offers ideal spaces to climb, run and explore, allowing children to develop self-awareness, motor skills and emotional intelligence. Together, Parks Victoria and early childhood learning providers can create life-long connections between children, nature and parks. Download our Bush Kinder Handbook (PDF) to find out how to take your early learning outdoors.

How to start a Bush Kindergarten

Finding a suitable outdoor learning space

Parks Victoria has an extensive network of parks and reserves. To find a park, search for a park by name.

Different parks are managed for different purposes, so it's important to find a park that suits your needs. The best suited parks for bush kindergartens are metropolitan parks, regional parks and visitor sites within national and state parks. Wilderness parks and nature conservation reserves are primarily reserved for the protection of significant plants and animals and in some cases may not be suitable for regular use.

As an educator, you understand your group's needs best. Rangers understand their park best, and together a suitable site within your local park can be found. Initial scoping and induction sessions will help find a site that is safe and accessible, while also ensuring minimal impact to the natural place you've come to enjoy.

Key points to consider when identifying a site include:

Natural boundaries

Tree and water risk

Visitor numbers

Regular access

Emergency access

Mobile reception

How do I contact the ranger?

The easiest way to start a conversation about a new bush kindergarten on Parks Victoria's estate is to email education@parks.vic.gov.au. Your request will be directed to the local park office who will contact you to discuss opportunities.

Further resources

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Parks have a special place in supporting early connections with nature through free, unstructured play outdoors. The great outdoors offers ideal spaces to climb, run and explore, allowing children to develop self-awareness, motor skills and emotional intelligence. Together, Parks Victoria and early childhood learning providers can create life-long connections between children, nature and parks.

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"Lisa Kennedy's illustrations are luscious and vivid - complementing Fay Stewart-Muir's and Sue Lawson's pared back text."
- Marjorie Lewis-Jones, The South Sydney Herald

"Respect is beautifully written...the vibrant and beautiful illustration by Lisa Kennedy captivate the reader. Respect truly is a work of art that you will want to have on display in your classroom."
- Karlie Naulty, Glam Adelaide

" Respect presents a code that everyone can live by - and it does so in a poetic and visually delicious package. It's a history lesson, a cultural lesson, and a universal creed rolled into one perfect picture book."
- Liz Patterson, CBCA Reading Time

"Aunty Fay Muir and Sue Lawson...have collaborated with artist Lisa Kennedy to deliver this absolutely exquisite picture book...Muir and Lawson's sparse text is offset by Kennedy's luminous images, which come alive on the page."
- Books and Publishing

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NOTABLES, 2021 CHILDREN'S BOOK COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDS, EARLY CHILDHOOD LONGLISTED, 2021 INDIE BOOK AWARDS, CHILDREN'S BOOKS Respect is the first title in the 'Our Place' series of four children's picture books which welcome and introduce children to important elements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.

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20 November 2018

Kids In Nature Network and partner organisations have concluded a state-wide report of nature play, bush kinder and outdoor learning providers and initiatives in Victoria.

Our report identifies a growing and unmet demand for nature play, outdoor learning and bush kinder programs in Victoria. The report identifies the key barriers and areas in need of support.

Download the report and infographic here (click on Pdf icons below):

Report Infographic

We posed the following research questions:

1. What nature play, bush kinder and outdoor learning programs are currently available in Victoria? (Who is out there and what are they doing?)

2. What are the key enablers and barriers for existing programs, and for new programs?

3. How can these groups be better assisted to achieve their goals?

The survey results are the most comprehensive dataset gathered in Victoria on the sector to date.

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20 November 2018 Kids In Nature Network and partner organisations have concluded a state-wide report of nature play, bush kinder and outdoor learning providers and initiatives in Victoria. Our report identifies a growing and unmet demand for nature play, outdoor learning and bush kinder programs in Victoria.

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In a patch of bush beside Melbourne's Merri Creek, five-year-old Rachael is perched in a tree. She's inched up and down several times, getting higher and prouder each time.

"I like climbing the trees," she grins, her sun hat lopsided. "I'm still learning."

Step into this clearing in the inner-north suburb of Northcote and the city disappears. A breeze ruffles the reeds and beetles are busy on mottled trunks. A sharp smell of mud wafts up from the creek.

Around Rachael, watched over by four educators and a parent helper, 27 other four and five-year-olds from Batman Park Kindergarten are deep in play.

They're here for their weekly session of bush kinder and while there's a camp toilet, a tarp as a picnic rug and high visibility vests for everyone, there's not a toy or swing set in sight.

Children are building a giant aquarium, collecting rocks as sharks' teeth and branches for coral. A raucous orchestra is playing stick instruments.

Two girls are rabbits in a nest they've made of grass clippings, while another group is crafting fishing rods from sticks and reeds.

Screens and schedules give way to rocks and trees

Inspired by Scandinavia's forest preschools, the bush kinder movement in Australia is building momentum as growing numbers of educators and parents become convinced of the importance of nature play.

In the mud and in the trees, they say, profound learning is taking place.

At Batman Park, the program has become increasingly popular with families since it began seven years ago.

Children are dropped here one morning every week, with snacks, gumboots and at least one change of clothes.

After sitting in a circle for a welcome and a song or two, they spend the next three hours in the dirt, up trees, stomping in mud and climbing over rocks.

For children growing up in a regulated world of screens and schedules, educator Pieta Hulbert says the freedom and creativity of bush kinder offers children a myriad of physical, social and sensory benefits, and fosters independence, healthy risk-taking and problem-solving skills.

As they play, they're immersed in the natural world, learning about the Indigenous history of the area - about its creatures and seasonal cycles - from Wurundjeri elders.

"It's so important for them, and there's a huge amount of joy in it for them," says Hulbert, who's led the program at Batman Park since its inception.

"People think that children need to be entertained all the time, but they really don't - and it's much better for them not to be."

The program runs year-round in all but the most extreme weather, and Pieta says the children relish even the coldest days.

"We jump on icy puddles and run through the frost on the grass - the kids absolutely love it," she says.

In any weather climbing trees is a favourite activity. Once a childhood staple, this endangered art has many lessons to impart.

"On a climbing frame you climb it and it's done. But there are so many variables in climbing a tree, even if you've climbed it before," says Pieta.

"A branch may have broken off, it might be slippery or wind might make it move differently.

"At bush kinder we try not to say 'be careful'. We say things like, 'Do you feel safe?' or 'Are you holding on in two places?', 'What's your plan to get down?'

"We want them to work out for themselves how to climb that tree in a safe and thoughtful way."

Nature teaches lessons in imagination and creativity

Bush kinder was pioneered in Australia in 2011 by Doug Fargher, director of Westgarth Kindergarten, also in Northcote in Melbourne's inner-north, who is passionate about its impact on children's wellbeing and development.

When children arrive at Westgarth's bush site in nearby parkland for the first time, they're often taken aback by the lack of equipment or structured activities.

But it's not long before their natural creativity erupts. "Children are really creative and really capable. They just need the opportunity to use their imaginations," Fargher says.

The children care for the space, picking up rubbish, planting trees and spending time with Wurundjeri elders and local rangers. They collaborate on projects like moving logs around, discover their own abilities and respond to being trusted, says Fargher.

"The children see themselves as strong and capable and they see each other that way too."

They're universal skills which aren't just for city kids.

Even fire has a lesson to impart

Before bushfire hit the community of Buchan, 350 kilometres east of Melbourne, in late December, Buchan Early Childhood Development Centre educator and coordinator Rocio Levings had been taking children into bushland near the small township since 2014.

"Just because children live in the bush doesn't mean they're spending quality time in nature as part of their daily life," says Levings, speaking to the ABC before the fires.

"Yes, we're surrounded by it out here, but that's different to children being let free in a safe, wild environment where they can explore and find their own connections."

Carrying string, compasses and magnifying glasses, every session normally includes a bushwalk led by one of the four-year-olds.

While educators watch from the rear, the leader has to decide whether or not the group will jump from a much-loved tree stump, when it's safe to cross several dirt roads, and if the children will take a shortcut.

At the "big hill" everyone votes on whether to run up it or not.

"There is so much learning just in that walk," says Levings.

Building resilience in young children is central to the bush kinder philosophy.

'We don't mollycoddle the kids'

"If the children pull themselves up by holding onto the sword grass their fingers will bleed, for example - but it's not the end of the world," says Levings.

"We don't mollycoddle them, we let them have the experience and then they teach other children not to hang onto the sword grass."

She says the children develop a profound bond with the landscape.

"They see what drought does, what the ground looks like when there's been no rain, what happens when people throw fishing lines or rubbish in the creek - the consequences of the interactions between human and nature," she says.

"They understand we are all part of that system and the more they see that connection with nature, the more likely as adults they will be to look after it."

Many children are also now seeing what fire can do to a beloved landscape.

Dr Sue Elliott, senior lecturer in early childhood education at the University of New England and an expert in natural play spaces, says this summer's horrific bushfires make the role of bush kinder even more crucial.

With many children deeply anxious about climate change, about smoke hanging over their backyards, or bushfires threatening their communities, Elliott emphasises the opportunities within bush kinder programs to teach children about the causes and impact of fire, while giving them tangible ways to help - whether it's revegetating an area or making pouches for orphaned joeys.

"There's a lot of anxiety among young children and we need to make sure we don't exacerbate that anxiety but instead create pathways for them to feel empowered and have agency," she says.

"The fires adds another layer of urgency to what we need to be doing with them."

Every bush kinder program undergoes rigorous risk assessments covering a range of scenarios, from fire to snakes and thunderstorms, and sites are selected carefully for access, visibility and natural boundaries.

"We have to be able to say to families, 'this is why we are doing this and this is how we're going to keep your child safe'," says Batman Park's Pieta Hulbert.

She's never had a serious injury at bush kinder, and sees more bumps and bruises in indoor classrooms.

Westgarth's Doug Fargher agrees: "We've noticed that children are more likely to hurt themselves on equipment that meets Australian standards with soft-fall underneath than they are in a tree."

Buchan's Rocio Levings thinks this is partly because in a wild setting, children instinctively take more responsibility for themselves and others.

"If we're walking over the rocks and one of our smaller friends is with us, the children all want to help them and make sure they're safe. That compassion comes out naturally at bush kinder."

Measurable improvement on behaviour

Pieta Hulbert says the bush brings a different mood.

"The kids are often more settled at bush kinder, more chilled out. We're dealing with less behavioural challenges," she says.

At Westgarth, Doug Fargher says, the slower pace deepens relationships and conversations between educators and children.

Such benefits have convinced many hesitant parents.

"In the beginning some parents said, 'We live in the bush, why do we need this? How will our kids get school-ready if they just sit in the bush and play?'," says Levings.

Now many of those same parents want to see the program extended into local schools.

"We need to break down that assumption that serious learning can only happen in a classroom," she says.

At Batman Park, Anita Barker - who admits her family doesn't do much camping - wasn't sure how her son Thomas would feel about bush kinder.

"But he's really embraced it and it's been a wonderful experience for him," she says,

"I remember rocking up here the first time and thinking, how is this going to go in the middle of winter? But he's never said it's too cold to go. They cope.

"If he comes home with a few scratches or he's dirty, he's fine with that.

"I realised that it was me who needed to change my thinking."

A 2018 report by the Kids In Nature Network, with partners including Westgarth, Parks Victoria and the Victorian Government, highlighted huge potential to engage more children in regular nature play.

The report found 330 groups across the state who run nature play, outdoor learning or bush kinder programs, and more than 110 others which wanted to establish programs but either didn't know how or lacked the resources and staff.

Sue Elliott says while Europe's forest preschools led the way, Australia's bush kinder movement will continue to grow with its own unique flavour.

"We are building on what has been done overseas but also translating it into what is relevant for our particular landscape, the Indigenous perspective, our geography, our flora and fauna and our socio-cultural context," says Elliott.

"Bush kinder has added a whole new layer of learning opportunities."

While there's a huge appetite among educators for bush kinder programs, Elliott cautions against seeing nature as just another playground.

For bush kinder to be truly meaningful for children, she says, it must focus on leading them towards a deeper, more sustainable relationship with the natural world.

"It's about the relationship between humans and between humans and the Earth," she says.

Down by the Merri Creek, Pieta Hulbert, her clothes smeared with small muddy handprints, is watching those relationships blossom.

"Some people have said to me bush kinder is a fad," she says, as a group of children huddle intently around a tree trunk to examine an unusual bug. "But nature isn't a fad."

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'We don't mollycoddle them': The preschools letting kids spend hours in the dirt

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In a patch of bush beside Melbourne's Merri Creek, five-year-old Rachael is perched in a tree. She's inched up and down several times, getting higher and prouder each time. "I like climbing the trees," she grins, her sun hat lopsided. "I'm still learning." Step into this clearing in the inner-north suburb of Northcote and the city disappears.

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Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Network

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Promoting outdoor learning for young children.
The Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Network is a forum for educators to share their experience of providing early childhood education outdoors, learn from each other, and promote outdoor learning for young children.
The ECOLN runs an annual Pedagogy & Practice Conference, Gatherings to visit nature kindergarten sites, and training for services wanting to get a nature program off the ground. We maintain a map of nature kindergarten programs, and a mailing list. We engage in promotion of nature kindergarten and children's access to outdoor play. We aim to connect teachers and services to each other, and learn from each other.
Our professional learning programs include a strong commitment to acknowledging and working with First Nations people.
We are a not-for-profit network of practitioners.
Explore the information on this site for our past and present Conference programs, and our range of activities. To stay in touch, like our Facebook page, and sign up to our mailing list.

Outdoor play is vitally important for learning in early childhood. Educators who work with young children are becoming increasingly aware of the value of outdoor play. New programs are emerging which focus on outdoor play, including play in the bush, at the beach and other natural spaces.

Look here for discussion of pedagogical issues such as the role of risk in learning, sustainability, or learning about literacy, maths and science through outdoor play.

Teaching in new environments means resolving a host of practical problems to ensure that children can be well cared for. They include issues such as setting boundaries, toileting, choosing a site, and transport. Look here for discussion of issues to consider and examples of how other services have resolved them.

An increasing number of children's services are offering special programs with an outdoor learning focus. They vary greatly in where they go and how they are organised. They share a commitment to outdoor learning in nature. Look here for information about some of the programs that operate in different parts of the country.

​

Are you looking for a nature kindergarten program in your area? Do you want to see where programs are operating? ECOLN have a map that shows children's services that run nature kindergarten as part of a preschool program.
Click on the link to go to the map. Contact services directly for more information. Please note that we cannot vouch for whether all program information is current.
If you have a program you would like to put on the map, please email ECOLN. The same if you want your service taken off.

There are currently 160 services on the map for Victoria, and 15 in others areas.

​We are going on information provided. If a program has ceased or is not offered in a particular year, we will not know unless we are notified. Please contact the service directly to find out what is available at the moment.

If you would like to make a contribution to this website, please contact us.

The Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Network holds Gatherings where outdoor programs host visitors to their learning sites.
Gatherings are open to all, but are chiefly directed at practitioners who want to see the site, hear about how the program works in that space, and hear from other practitioners about the practicalities and pedagogy of teaching in these settings.

Gatherings are held on Saturdays so as not to disrupt programs. We understand that people would love to see programs in operation, however it is too intrusive for the children and educators.

Gatherings have been held at a range of services. See here.

For notification of future Gatherings, join the the ECOLN mailing list.

The Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Network kicked off our annual Pedagogy & Practice Conferences for outdoor learning practitioners in 2016. These are held during Nature Play Week, in partnership with the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.
Conferences are kept small to promote networking, and affordable for educators who have to pay their own way. From 2020, eligible services can use their SRF funding to attend this Conference. Programs intentionally go beyond the classroom to build the stores of knowledge we have to draw on when working with children.
Click on links below for information about past Conferences.

Nature Kindergarten Facilitator Demonstration Project

ECOLN has linked with outdoors education peak body Outdoors Victoria for this exciting new project, funded by Sport and Recreation Victoria through a Together More Active grant.

Targeting areas where outdoor programs in early childhood are under represented including Hume, Melton and Wellington Shire, the project has employed a facilitator, ECOLN member Rose Major, to help early childhood services develop such programs.

Find out more here, or contact facilitator Rose at naturekindergarten@outdoorsvictoria.org.au

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Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Network

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Promoting outdoor learning for young children. The Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Network is a forum for educators to share their experience of providing early childhood education outdoors, learn from each other, and promote outdoor learning for young children.The ECOLN runs an annual Pedagogy & Practice Conference, Gatherings to visit nature kindergarten sites, and training for services wanting to get a nature program off the ground.

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Have a read of what over 350 organisations working to connect kids to nature have told us.

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The Little Things that Run the City - City of Melbourne

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In collaboration with RMIT, the City of Melbourne have released a children’s book that focuses on 30 amazing insects in our city.

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Search the Australian Bookseller's Association website to find a bookseller near you. The links will take you to the web site's home page. From there you can navigate to the title you are interested in. Find a bookshop near you: http://www.aba.org.au/find-a-bookshop.

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International Perspectives on Forest School

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International Perspectives on Forest School

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SAGE Books - International Perspectives on Forest School: Natural Spaces to Play and Learn

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Forest School is now implemented across a wide range of settings both nationally and internationally, and this book explores the global similarities between the Forest School approach and how natural spaces are being used all over the world.

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The children and adults benefit from using only what nature has provided.

Westgarth Kindergarten began, and remains central to the growing bush kinder movement in Australia. Westgarth Bush Kinder was established in response to evidence clearly indicating the benefits for children of playing and learning outdoors in nature, while children were spending increasing time indoors.

Appreciating the importance of early childhood education, Westgarth developed a curriculum in which children could lead their own play and learning in and with nature: 'Bush Kinder'.

Bush Kinder is a special part of a Westgarth child's total kinder experience. A model to suit our community's and children's specific needs. It recognises the place the bush has in Australian folklore and the significance of the land in aboriginal culture.

It is inextricably linked to the philosophy and pedagogy of Westgarth Kindergarten.

The program is held on Wurundjeri land at Darebin Parklands in partnership with Darebin Council and the Darebin Parklands Management Committee. The Darebin Parklands is adjacent to the Darebin Creek in Alphington (approx 2.5km from the Home Kindergarten).

For more information please contact director@wgkg.vic.edu.au

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The children and adults benefit from using only what nature has provided. Westgarth Kindergarten began, and remains central to the growing bush kinder movement in Australia. Westgarth Bush Kinder was established in response to evidence clearly indicating the benefits for children of playing and learning outdoors in nature, while children were spending increasing time indoors.

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An Aboriginal ceremony of Welcome to Country is depicted for the first time in a stunning board book from two Indigenous Australians.
Welcome to the lands of the Wurundjeri people. The people are part of the land, and the land is a part of them. Aboriginal communities across Australia have boundaries that are defined by mountain ranges and waterways. Traditionally, to cross these boundaries, permission is required. Each community has its own way of greeting, but the practice shares a common name: a Welcome to Country. Aunty Joy Murphy Wandin, the senior Aboriginal elder of the Wurundjeri people, channels her passion for storytelling into a remarkable and utterly unique picture book that invites readers to discover some of the history and traditions of her people. Indigenous artist Lisa Kennedy gives the Wurundjeri Welcome to Country form in beautiful paintings rich with blues and browns, as full of wonder and history as the tradition they depict.

Aboriginal communities across Australia have boundaries that are defined by mountain ranges and waterways. Traditionally, to cross these boundaries or enter community country you needed permission from the neighboring community. When this permission was granted the ceremony now called Welcome to Country took place. Each community had its own way of welcoming to country, and they still do today.

Written by Aunty Joy Wandin Murphy, a most respected senior Wurundjeri elder of the Kulin alliance, and illustrated by Indigenous Australian artist Lisa Kennedy.

About the author

Joy Murphy Wandin is a storyteller and writer who is passionate about using stories to bring people together and as a conduit for understanding aboriginal culture. She is an Officer of the Order of Australia. Welcome to Country is her first book. Aunty Joy lives in Victoria, Australia.

About the illustrator

Lisa Kennedy is descendant of the Trawlwoolway People on the north-east coast of Tasmania. Lisa was born in Melbourne and as a child lived close to the Maribyrnong River. Here she experienced the gradual restoration of the natural river environment alongside cultural regeneration and reclamation. Through sense of place she feels connected to the Wurundjeri country and all that entails - the water, the land, the animals and the ancestors. The experience of loss and reclamation is embedded in her work. Welcome to Country is her first title with Black Dog Books.

ISBN: 9781760652005
Imprint: Walker Books Australia
Distributor: Walker Australia-HEDS
Binding: Board Book
Release Date: April 1, 2020
Dimensions: 216 x 186mm, 26pp
Stock Status: Confirmed
Australian RRP: $16.99
New Zealand RRP: $18.99
Stock Level: In Stock

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An Aboriginal ceremony of Welcome to Country is depicted for the first time in a stunning board book from two Indigenous Australians. Welcome to the lands of the Wurundjeri people. The people are part of the land, and the land is a part of them.

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Centennial Parklands Nature Play resources

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Centennial Parklands Nature Play resources

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Also known as Forest School, Nature Kindergarten, Udeskole and Wilderness Awareness School, here in Australia nature pedagogy is commonly known as Bush Kinder.

The aim of the practice is to teach holistically through the engagement of hands, heart and mind alongside nature to develop the whole learner, cognitively, socially and physically.

The need for this kind of learning is growing as our society becomes more urbanised and sedentary and our connection to the natural world becomes lost. There is an abundance of research telling us that nature is fundamentally beneficial and leads to well-being, health and happiness.

Nature Play Programs

Our programs and activities aim to provide opportunities to members of our community who wish to bring nature back into their lives and minds.

We offer programs for all ages and abilities during the week, on weekends and in school holidays. Our regular programs include our award-winning Bush School, OOSH in the Bush, the Family Nature Club, Kids vs Wild and the CP Bushrangers.

We also run training courses on the practice of nature pedagogy and have seasonal programs for adults.

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Also known as Forest School, Nature Kindergarten, Udeskole and Wilderness Awareness School, here in Australia nature pedagogy is commonly known as Bush Kinder. The aim of the practice is to teach holistically through the engagement of hands, heart and mind alongside nature to develop the whole learner, cognitively, socially and physically.

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Useful for assessing risk

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The Guide to the National Quality Framework (NQF) is designed to help education and care providers, educators and authorised officers understand and apply the requirements of the NQF.

The Guide is not legal advice and should be read in conjunction with the National Law and Regulations, which take precedence over any guidance.

As there will be further updates to this publication during 2023, hardcopies are not available for purchase at this time.

How to use the Guide

The Guide provides information for all types of service in all states and territories. It is not intended to be read from cover to cover, nor is all of the information within it relevant to every service. Rather, it has been designed as a comprehensive reference document to be referred to when seeking guidance on particular matters, such as applications and approvals, operational requirements, and the National Quality Standard.

The Guide has been designed as an online PDF document and will be updated as required. Any changes to the Guide will be added at the bottom of this page.

Along with ensuring that you will always be referring to the latest version of the Guide, another benefit of using the online PDF is that it enables you to quickly and easily search for content by key word(s).

Accessing the Guide

Download your copy:

Changes to the Guide

This Guide will be regularly updated with additional advice and improved guidance.

To ensure you have the most up to date information we suggest you always view the online version. Any changes to the Guide will be added to the below table.
Download a print-friendly summary of the 2020 regulation amendments Download a print-friendly copy of the table of changes

3: National Quality Standard and Assessment and Rating

4: Operational Requirements

All

Throughout

Updating of existing wording and new text regarding new transportation requirements for centre-based services from 1 March 2023 from page 168 and from page 388.

New text and hyperlinks regarding the updated national approved learning frameworks. Services may use Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia Version 2.0 and My Time, Our Place: Framework for School Age Care in Australia Version 2.0 from 2023 onwards. The original versions of both frameworks will be revoked from 1 February 2024.

Updating of existing wording and new text regarding notice of an assessment and rating visit on page 322 and partial reassessments on page 329.

Sept-20

3: National Quality Standard

All standards

In the Exceeding guidance for each Standard found on pages 114, 126, 141, 163, 178, 190, 204, 217, 226, 240, 250, 266, 279, 299 and 313, former Exceeding indicators for assessors have been reworded into reflective questions for services.

The guidance also directs readers to the bank of Exceeding case studies available on ACECQA's Exceeding the NQS web page.

Sept-20

2: Applications and Approvals

3: National Quality Standard and Assessment and Rating

4: Operational Requirements

5: Regulatory Authority Powers

7: Glossary

Throughout

Updating of existing wording and insertion of new text at pages 37, 156, 166, 168-170, 173, 295, 360, 361, 363-5, 379, 381-6, 388, 438, 454, 456, 577, and 631.

These changes relate to the introduction of new regulatory requirements for transportation of children outside an excursion, including a requirement for policies and procedures, risk assessments and written authorisations - regulations 168(2)(ga) and 102B-D.

The new regulations are now included at page 168 under Element 2.2.1: Supervision.

A new section 2.14: Transportation was added at pages 382-5.

A new section 2.15: Other important factors relating to the safe transportation of children was added at pages 385-6.

The new regulations are now included at page 388 under 2:16 Responsibilities of the Approved Provider, Nominated Supervisor and Family Day Care Educator; at page 454 under 7.1: Policies and Procedures; and at page 577 under Attachment B: Summary of Offences under the National Regulations.

A minor change was made to the definition of 'regular outing' at page 631.

A new definition of 'regular transportation' was inserted at page 631.

Existing Part 2.13: Excursions at pages 380- 2 was also updated to include references to new regulatory requirements for transportation of children during an excursion - regulations 100(2)(d) and 102(4).

Sept-20

3: National Quality Standard and Assessment and Rating

4: Operational Requirements

4.1.1 - Organisation of educators

4.4 - Educator to child ratios

4.2.3 - Qualification requirements for centre-based services with children preschool age or under

Deletion of references to Regulations 322 and 323 on pages 212 - as they are repealed - bringing South Australia in line with national requirements for educator to child ratios at centre-based services under Regulation 123(1)(c).

Deletion of the reference to a saving provision in South Australia at page 429 (see above).

Addition of text at page 418 clarifying that an existing three-month probationary period for new educators working without an approved qualification under Regulation 126(1A) now applies in South Australia

Sept-20

3: National Quality Standard and Assessment and Rating

4: Operational Requirements

Throughout

Addition of references to Educational Leader Resource and Self-Assessment tool

Sept-20

All

Throughout

Fixed typos, updated titling etc. - 1, 3, 92, 95, 97, 169, 416, 417, 473.

92-371 - chapter name update from Guide to National Quality Standard to National Quality Standard.

93-315 - Capitalise Standard as required.

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The Guide to the National Quality Framework (NQF) is designed to help education and care providers, educators and authorised officers understand and apply the requirements of the NQF.

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Welcome to the Victorian Educators Outdoor Pedagogy Portal.

The Department of Education and Training (Vic) has partnered with Early Childhood Australia (ECA) to provide this Outdoor Pedagogy Portal for Victorian Educators. This Portal, which is freely available to all Victorian educators, includes a professional learning module, online books, and case studies on outdoor learning. It is aimed at generating inspiring outdoor practice and supports the diversity within learning environments in our sector.

By logging into the Victorian Educators Outdoor Pedagogy Portal and sub portals you accept the agreement set out in the Terms and Conditions. If you have any concerns accessing this portal please contact us via email: professionallearning@earlychildhood.org.au

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Welcome to the Victorian Educators Outdoor Pedagogy Portal. The Department of Education and Training (Vic) has partnered with Early Childhood Australia (ECA) to provide this Outdoor Pedagogy Portal for Victorian Educators. This Portal, which is freely available to all Victorian educators, includes a professional learning module, online books, and case studies on outdoor learning.

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Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria is a centre of excellence for botanical research. We play a vital role in the study of Australia's plants, fungi and algae, enriching our understanding of native biodiversity and its urgent conservation needs.

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Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria plays a leading role in the conservation of plants through biodiversity research, programs to protect rare and threatened plants, and the study of habitats. This work is supported by education and visitor programs about the importance of plants to life.