QUALITY IS THE STAR IN EARLY CHILDHOOD RATING SYSTEM

Saturday, 23 November 2019

A clearer and simpler rating system for early childhood services was announced today, making it easier for parents to understand how their service rates under the National Quality Framework (NQF).

Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning Sarah Mitchell said the change is something both parents and services have been calling for.

“All providers will be required to display their National Quality Standard (NQS) rating in the format of four stars that correlate to their NQS rating level,” Ms Mitchell said.

“Services will display the stars where parents can see them clearly, and will be requested to provide more detailed rating information to parents and families at enrolment from July 1, 2020.

“A fifth star can be obtained through an additional application to Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority.

“We have worked with the sector and families to find a better way for promoting and understanding the quality ratings, and have set aside a further $8 million to support providers to improve the quality of their services, building on the $5 million already invested.

“Ensuring parents and carers understand the rating of their early childhood service is essential for families, and also for maintaining and improving quality.”

Early Childhood Australia CEO Samantha Page said the Quality Ratings Guide will be a great way for families to start a conversation with services.

“Parents should play an active role in communicating with services about all aspects of quality, and the star graphic invites them to learn more about quality improvement,” Ms Page said.

“It also gives services the opportunity to pro-actively engage and focus on quality as an ongoing priority.”

The new four star format will display a service’s NQF rating as:

Exceeding NQS = 4 stars
Meeting NQS = 3 stars
Working towards NQS = 2 stars
Significant Improvement Required = 1 star

For more information on the new Stars system visit the website: https://education.nsw.gov.au/early-childhood-quality