EYLF learning outcomes: the five outcomes, sub-outcomes, principles and practices of V2.0

Last reviewed: 29 October 2026. Outcome, principle and practice wording from Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia V2.0 (2022). Regulation references checked against the National Regulations reprint current as at 12 August 2026.

This page lists the EYLF V2.0 outcomes and sub-outcomes, principles and practices as they appear in the framework, then explains the compliance side: what the National Law and Regulations actually require a program to be and to document, and how the framework is assessed under Quality Area 1. Sub-outcome numbering (1.1, 1.2 and so on) is a widely used convention; the framework itself lists them as bullet points under each outcome.

The five learning outcomes and their sub-outcomes

Outcome 1: Children have a strong sense of identity

• 1.1 Children feel safe, secure and supported
• 1.2 Children develop their emerging autonomy, inter-dependence, resilience and agency
• 1.3 Children develop knowledgeable, confident self-identities and a positive sense of self-worth
• 1.4 Children learn to interact in relation to others with care, empathy and respect

Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world

• 2.1 Children develop a sense of connectedness to groups and communities and an understanding of their reciprocal rights and responsibilities as active and informed citizens
• 2.2 Children respond to diversity with respect
• 2.3 Children become aware of fairness
• 2.4 Children become socially responsible and show respect for the environment

Outcome 3: Children have a strong sense of wellbeing

• 3.1 Children become strong in their social, emotional and mental wellbeing
• 3.2 Children become strong in their physical learning and wellbeing
• 3.3 Children are aware of and develop strategies to support their own mental and physical health and personal safety

Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners

• 4.1 Children develop a growth mindset and learning dispositions such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creativity, commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, imagination and reflexivity
• 4.2 Children develop a range of learning and thinking skills and processes such as problem solving, inquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching and investigating
• 4.3 Children transfer and adapt what they have learned from one context to another
• 4.4 Children resource their own learning through connecting with people, place, technologies and natural and processed materials

Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators

• 5.1 Children interact verbally and non-verbally with others for a range of purposes
• 5.2 Children engage with a range of texts and gain meaning from these texts
• 5.3 Children express ideas and make meaning using a range of media
• 5.4 Children begin to understand how symbols and pattern systems work
• 5.5 Children use digital technologies and media to access information, investigate ideas and represent their thinking

The eight principles

1. Secure, respectful and reciprocal relationships
2. Partnerships
3. Respect for diversity
4. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives
5. Equity, inclusion and high expectations
6. Sustainability
7. Critical reflection and ongoing professional learning
8. Collaborative leadership and teamwork

V2.0 added three principles that were not separate principles in the 2009 framework: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives, Sustainability, and Collaborative leadership and teamwork. Critical reflection and ongoing professional learning replaces Ongoing learning and reflective practice, and Equity, inclusion and high expectations replaces High expectations and equity.

The seven practices

1. Holistic, integrated and interconnected approaches
2. Responsiveness to children
3. Play-based learning and intentionality
4. Learning environments
5. Cultural responsiveness
6. Continuity of learning and transitions
7. Assessment and evaluation for learning, development and wellbeing

In V2.0, Play-based learning and intentionality brings together the former Learning through play and Intentional teaching, and Cultural responsiveness replaces Cultural competence. The planning cycle (observe and collect information, question and analyse, plan, act and do, reflect and review) is set out in its own section of the framework and is the structure assessors look for under Element 1.3.1.

What the Law and Regulations require

• Section 168 of the National Law: the approved provider must ensure a program is delivered to each child that is based on an approved learning framework, delivered in accordance with that framework, based on the developmental needs, interests and experiences of each child, and designed to take into account the individual differences of each child.
• Regulation 254: the approved learning frameworks are the EYLF (birth to five), My Time, Our Place (school age), and jurisdiction-specific frameworks declared for particular states, such as the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework.
• Regulation 73(2): the program is to contribute to the five outcomes listed above, in the words of the regulation: a strong sense of identity; connected with and contributing to his or her world; a strong sense of wellbeing; a confident and involved learner; an effective communicator.
• Regulation 74: for a child preschool age or under, documented assessments of the child’s developmental needs, interests, experiences and participation in the program, and of the child’s progress against the outcomes; for a child over preschool age, evaluations of wellbeing, development and learning. The documentation must take into account how long the child attends and how educators will use it, and be readily understandable to educators and parents. A compliance direction may be issued for failure to comply.
• Regulations 75 and 76: information about the program displayed where parents can see it and the program available for inspection; information about a child’s participation and progress, and copies of the regulation 74 documents, given to parents on request.
• Regulation 118: an educational leader designated in writing to lead the development and implementation of the program.

How the EYLF is assessed under the NQS

• Element 1.1.1 Approved learning framework: curriculum decision-making contributes to each child’s identity, connection with community, wellbeing, confidence as learners and effectiveness as communicators, which are the five outcomes restated.
• Elements 1.1.2 and 1.2.3: the child-centred principle and children’s agency.
• Element 1.2.1 and 1.2.2: intentionality and responsiveness, the practices of the framework in action.
• Standard 1.3: the planning cycle, critical reflection and information for families.
• Outcomes 1 and 3 also underpin Quality Area 5 (relationships) and Element 2.1.1 (wellbeing and comfort); Outcome 2 underpins Element 3.2.3 (environmentally responsible) and Quality Area 6.

See the Quality Area 1 guide for what assessors look for and the common findings.

Frequently asked questions

This page is a research summary, not legal or compliance advice. Element and regulation wording is reproduced from the current reprint of the National Regulations; confirm the position with your regulatory authority before relying on it for a compliance decision.