What the new ratings mean for you

From this year we’ll see a lot of information about children’s education and care services across Australia as governments focus more attention on our important sector. One of the biggest changes we’ll see will be the introduction of a new rating system for services, which raises the bar on what quality looks like for our children and families. While most services had high ratings under the old system, the benchmarks have now been lifted to match what research tells us is the very best care for children. This means that, at least initially, most services are likely to be rated in the middle bands. The new quality standards, while harder to achieve, will give us a clearer roadmap to improve than before. We are all part of this new journey to improve children’s education and care. Through the new system parents and educators will build a shared understanding of what quality education and care looks like and how it will continue to develop over time. The implementation of the new National Quality Standard is the responsibility of state and territory regulatory authorities and the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority. ACECQA is helping to explain the new ratings to services and families so we are all on the same page at the beginning of this important journey. It’s important that we work together under this new system to give our children the best possible start in life. If you have ideas to share about how you communicate with families, post them here or on our Facebook page.