Highlight - National Quality Standard

Standard 3.3: The service takes an active role in caring for its environment and contributes to a sustainable future. 

Our Facebook page recently linked to a blog article about chickens at a preschool. Caring for animals helps children develop empathy, a sense of responsibility and an understanding of how animals contribute to the world. Chickens are a popular example, but they don’t suit every service.

However, there are many ways animals can be included in children’s education and care. Worm farms are one example, as they are compact and practical. When children learn how a worm farm works and why we need worms, they are actively caring for the environment and contributing to a sustainable future. This is a great example of how NQS Standard 3.3 can be addressed in practice.

Learning about composting, recycling and our impact on the environment also fulfills Practices and Principles of the EYLF Outcome 2, Children are connected with and contribute to their world. If you have a worm farm, or want to tell us about the animals at your service, please share your thoughts here or on our Facebook page. More reading on this subject is available from ECA here.