Families qualitative research project 2018

ACECQA has released its latest report on families’ understanding of the National Quality Standard (NQS) and the extent to which the quality ratings of education and care services are used by parents to make informed choices.

The qualitative research, undertaken by Hall and Partners in the first half of 2018, explored themes including influences on parents’ and carers’ decision‑making processes for selecting a service, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parent perspectives, and feedback on ACECQA’s family-focused brand, Starting Blocks.

The research found that, although general community awareness of NQS ratings remains low, quality does matter to parents and carers. While the concept of what constitutes quality differs between parents and carers, depending on the development level or age of a child, the expectations of quality do closely align with the standards and quality areas of the NQS.

Recommendations from the research included the need to conduct coordinated and high profile national communications to raise awareness of the quality ratings and to ensure the language used to communicate with parents and carers is meaningful and relevant.

The report and results of earlier research with families undertaken by ACECQA are available on the Research and reports page.