The NQF (National Quality Framework) is the whole national system for regulating childcare: the National Law, the National Regulations, the National Quality Standard, the rating system and the approved learning frameworks. The NQS (National Quality Standard) is the benchmark services are assessed and rated against: 7 quality areas, 15 standards and 40 elements. The EYLF (Early Years Learning Framework) is the curriculum framework for children from birth to 5 that a service’s educational program must be based on. In short, the EYLF guides what you teach, the NQS measures how well the service runs, and the NQF is the legal system that contains both.
Students, new educators and families often mix these up. Here is what each one is, where it comes from in the law, and how they connect.
| NQF | NQS | EYLF | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | The national system of law, standards, ratings and frameworks | The quality benchmark: 7 quality areas, 15 standards, 40 elements | A curriculum framework: vision, 8 principles, 7 practices, 5 learning outcomes |
| Where it sits in law | Defined in section 5(1) of the National Law; the rating system is prescribed by regulation 7 | Schedule 1 of the Regulations, prescribed by regulation 8 | An approved learning framework. Section 168 of the Law requires the program to be based on one, and regulation 73 sets its 5 outcomes |
| Who it applies to | Every approved education and care service: long day care, family day care, preschool and OSHC | Every approved service, which is assessed and rated against it | Programs for children from birth to 5. School-age care uses My Time, Our Place |
| What a service does with it | Complies with the Law and Regulations | Self-assesses in its Quality Improvement Plan (regulation 55) and is rated by the regulator | Plans, documents and evaluates its educational program |
The NQF began in 2012 and applies in every state and territory. It brings together the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, the National Quality Standard, the assessment and rating process, and the approved learning frameworks. ACECQA is the national authority. Each state’s regulatory authority approves services, monitors compliance and carries out assessment and rating. Some rules vary by state, as the Victoria, NSW and WA guides show.
The National Quality Standard is set out in Schedule 1 of the Regulations. Its 7 quality areas are: educational program and practice; children’s health and safety; physical environment; staffing arrangements; relationships with children; collaborative partnerships with families and communities; and governance and leadership. Each quality area is rated, and the service gets an overall rating. See the 7 quality areas explained and all 40 elements.
The EYLF (Belonging, Being and Becoming, V2.0, 2022) is one of the national approved learning frameworks. The other is My Time, Our Place for school-age care, and Victoria also has its own framework. The EYLF has no quality areas or ratings. It describes a vision, principles, practices and five learning outcomes, and educators use it to plan and assess learning. See the 5 EYLF outcomes and what changed in V2.0.
The link runs through Quality Area 1. A service builds its program on the EYLF (section 168 and regulation 73) and documents children’s learning through the planning cycle (regulation 74). Under Quality Area 1 of the NQS, Element 1.1.1 assesses whether curriculum decisions contribute to each child’s learning and development outcomes. The resulting rating is part of the NQF. So a strong EYLF program shows up as NQS evidence, and the NQS rating is published under the NQF.
The EYLF is the curriculum framework a program for children from birth to 5 must be based on. The NQS is the standard every approved service is assessed and rated against, across 7 quality areas. The EYLF links to the NQS mainly through Quality Area 1.
The NQF is the whole national system: the National Law, the National Regulations, the NQS, the rating system and the approved learning frameworks. The NQS is one part of it, the quality benchmark in Schedule 1 of the Regulations.
No. The 7 quality areas belong to the National Quality Standard. The EYLF has a vision, 8 principles, 7 practices and 5 learning outcomes.
Section 168 of the National Law requires each service's educational program to be based on an approved learning framework, and regulation 73 sets the five outcomes it must contribute to. For children from birth to 5, the EYLF is the national approved framework.
My Time, Our Place: Framework for School Age Care in Australia V2.0 is the national approved learning framework for school-age children.
WIDEN Law answers National Quality Framework questions with inline citations to the National Law, the Regulations and the NQS, so you can check the source provision yourself.
14-day free trial, no card →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.