89% of children’s education and care services meeting or exceeding standards

Standards of children’s education and care services continue to rise. The latest quarterly NQF Snapshot finds 89% of services are rated Meeting National Quality Standard (NQS) or above – the highest proportion since quality ratings began in 2012. The report summarises quality rating results and other information about education and care services operating under the National Quality Framework (NQF).

“There has been a marked rise in the proportion of services rated Meeting NQS and above since quality ratings were first published – from 56% in 2013 to 89% today,” said ACECQA CEO Gabrielle Sinclair.

“There has been a two percentage point increase in the past year alone, reflecting the coordinated efforts of teachers, educators and other service staff to improve their programs and practices to deliver better outcomes for children and families,” Ms Sinclair added.

The latest quarterly NQF Snapshot shows there are more than 17,000 services approved under the National Quality Framework (NQF) to provide children’s education and care services across Australia.

In addition to detailed information about the quality of education and care services, the Snapshot and interactive Online Snapshot include data about temporary service closures related to the impact of COVID-19 and other aspects of service regulation, such as physical environment and staffing waivers.

Additional figures providing more detailed analysis continue to be added to the Online Snapshot. This includes the number of services approved under the NQF and the proportion rated Meeting NQS and Exceeding NQS or above over time, as well as the number and proportion of long day care services with a staffing waiver.

Approved education and care services include long day care, outside school hours care and family day care services, as well as most preschools and kindergartens.