EYLF principles and practices: all 8 principles and 7 practices

Last reviewed: 8 November 2026. Checked against Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework V2.0 (2022) and ACECQA’s summary of the V2.0 changes, on 8 November 2026. Explanations are in our own words.

The principles say why, the practices say how, and the five learning outcomes say what children learn. Below, each principle and practice in plain words, with what it looks like in a room and where an assessor will look for it.

The 8 principles

Principle	What it means	What it looks like	Where assessors see it
Secure, respectful and reciprocal relationships	Children learn best when they feel safe with the adults around them. Educators tune in to each child, respond warmly and consistently, and build trust that lets children explore. V2.0 extends this to relational pedagogy: the relationship itself is part of how children learn.	Primary caregiving for babies, calm settling routines, educators down at children’s level in conversation.	QA5 (relationships with children)
Partnerships	Families are children’s first teachers. Educators share decisions and knowledge with families and, in V2.0, with other professionals such as therapists and teachers, so learning is connected across settings.	Families contribute goals; information flows both ways; transition meetings with schools and allied health.	QA6 (partnerships with families and communities)
Respect for diversity	Every child belongs to a culture shaped by family, community and history. Educators value different ways of living, knowing and communicating, and reflect them in the program rather than treating one way as the default.	Home languages used and welcomed, resources and celebrations that reflect the families at the service.	QA1, QA5, QA6
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives	New in V2.0. Educators embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing in everyday practice, building understanding and contributing to reconciliation for all children, not only Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.	Acknowledgement of Country practised meaningfully, local community connections, perspectives embedded through the year rather than only on set days.	QA1, QA6
Equity, inclusion and high expectations	Renamed in V2.0. Every child has the right to take part fully, whatever their circumstances or abilities. Educators remove barriers, adapt the environment and hold high expectations for every child’s learning.	Adjusted experiences so all children can join in, inclusion support plans, no lowered expectations based on labels.	QA1, QA3, QA5
Sustainability	New in V2.0. Sustainability covers environmental, social and economic dimensions. Children are active participants in caring for their environment and community, not just recipients of lessons about it.	Gardens, recycling and reuse that children run, conversations about fairness and caring for others.	QA3 (Element 3.2.3, environmentally responsible)
Critical reflection and ongoing professional learning	Renamed in V2.0. Educators question their own assumptions and practice, individually and as a team, and keep learning so the program improves.	Team reflection meetings that lead to changes; professional learning linked to the QIP.	QA1 (Element 1.3.2), QA4, QA7
Collaborative leadership and teamwork	New in V2.0. Leadership is shared: educational leaders, educators and children all contribute. Strong teams with clear roles support consistent quality.	Shared planning, mentoring by the educational leader, children’s ideas shaping decisions.	QA4, QA7

Three principles are new in V2.0, and two were renamed. The full comparison with the 2009 framework is in what changed in V2.0.

The 7 practices

Practice	What educators do
Holistic, integrated and interconnected approaches	Treat children’s physical, social, emotional, cultural, spiritual and cognitive development as connected, and link the vision, principles, practices and outcomes rather than planning them separately.
Responsiveness to children	Notice and build on children’s strengths, interests, ideas and knowledge, including knowledge from their families and cultures.
Play-based learning and intentionality	Combines the former learning through play and intentional teaching. Play is the main way children learn, and educators are deliberate and thoughtful about how they support, extend and plan for it.
Learning environments	Indoor and outdoor spaces, resources and routines are designed to invite exploration, reflect children’s families and communities, and support every child to take part.
Cultural responsiveness	Replaced cultural competence. Educators respect and respond to cultural diversity in an ongoing way, adjusting their practice, rather than treating cultural knowledge as a fixed skill.
Continuity of learning and transitions	Support children through changes, such as home to service, room to room and service to school, by sharing information and building on what children already know.
Assessment and evaluation for learning, development and wellbeing	Gather and analyse information about each child’s learning and wellbeing, use it to plan, and evaluate the program. This is the planning cycle, and it underpins regulation 74.

How principles, practices and outcomes fit together

A useful test for any experience in your program: which principle is behind it, which practice delivers it, and which outcome does it serve? For example, a regular walk to a local park with an Aboriginal community member draws on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives and partnerships principles, uses learning environments and cultural responsiveness, and contributes to Outcome 2 (connected with and contributing to their world). Writing this link into the program and its evaluation is what makes the framework visible to an assessor under Quality Area 1.

The legal hook

Section 168 of the National Law requires a program based on an approved learning framework, and regulation 73 sets the five outcomes. The principles and practices are not listed in the Regulations, but because the program must be based on and delivered in accordance with the framework, they are how a service shows it is doing that. See EYLF vs NQS vs NQF.

Using them in your service philosophy

Many service philosophies were written against the 2009 principles. Check yours names, or clearly reflects, the eight V2.0 principles, especially the three new ones. Element 7.1.1 expects the philosophy to guide all aspects of the service’s operations.

Frequently asked questions

This page is a research summary, not legal or compliance advice. It is written in our own words from the sources linked on the page; confirm the position with your regulatory authority before relying on it for a compliance decision.