91% of services meet or exceed the National Quality Standard for the first time
ACECQA’s latest NQF Snapshot indicates that, for the first time, 91% of children’s education and care services are rated Meeting National Quality Standard (NQS) or above, an increase from the 90% recorded for the previous four consecutive quarters.
The Q3 2024 report shows the overwhelming majority of services (98%) are rated Meeting or Exceeding NQS in Quality Areas 4 (Staffing arrangements), 5 (Relationships with children) and 6 (Collaborative partnerships with families and communities).
The report, released today by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA), presents data about services operating under Australia’s National Quality Framework (NQF).
The latest Snapshot report describes the trend in continuous quality improvement, as well as an overview of the children’s education and care sector. Raw data is available to download. The report is also supplemented by an interactive Online Snapshot with additional data on staffing waivers and other topics.
NQF-regulated children’s education and care services include long day care, outside school hours care and family day care services, as well as most preschools and kindergartens. ACECQA is the independent national authority that assists governments in administering the NQF for children’s education and care. Our functions include:
- keeping national information on the assessment, rating and regulation of services;
- publishing the ratings of services through quarterly NQF Snapshots
- promoting continuous quality improvement by services through the development and publication of the Guide to the NQF, research reports and sector resources
- supporting parents and carers to understand quality in services through a family focussed website, StartingBlocks.gov.au.