An Explorers Guide: What Makes a High-Quality Childcare Centre?

Wondering what to look out for when searching for high-quality childcare centres? We’ve broken down everything you need to know to assist in making the best choice for your child.

When you walk into a high-quality early childcare environment, you can feel it straight away. There’s a sense of purpose, warmth and calm that goes beyond what you can see on the surface.

You’ll notice children deeply engaged, exploring ideas, building, creating and interacting confidently with Educators. Learning happens through play, with open-ended materials and thoughtful provocations that invite curiosity.

Discover more: How (and Why) to Raise a Child Inventor

At Explorers, this often means natural resources, loose parts and everyday items that encourage imagination rather than limit it. This particular style of quality childcare education draws inspiration from the Reggio-Emilia Approach.

Educators are present and attentive, positioned at children’s level. They’re always listening closely, observing, guiding learning and actively supervising. They’re not just instructing; they’re forming relationships, responding to children’s interests and supporting each child’s development in meaningful ways.

What Does Quality Childcare Look Like?

The environment itself tells a story. Children’s artwork, words and ideas are on display, reinforcing how their voices matter and the value to their learning through our Enrichment Program.

You’ll also see diversity and inclusion reflected throughout spaces, from books and images to play experiences that represent different cultures, languages, abilities and family structures, something Explorers intentionally weaves into everyday practice through our Learning for Life curriculum.

It’s not just the indoor of a childcare centre that is important, it’s also the outdoor spaces that determine and highlight quality. At Explorers, our outdoor areas are just as important and provide unique learning experiences that serve as an extension of what happens within the classroom.

Furthermore, Educators take children out on regular excursions, whether that be through Bush Kinder or the Somerville Artist in Residence program, to further widen and extend the landscape of the Explorers childcare experience.

How Quality is Reflected Through the Essentials

Quality care also shows up in the essentials. At Explorers, nutritious meals are prepared fresh each day by centre chefs and cooks, supporting children’s health and wellbeing. SunSmart practices are embedded too, with hats provided to help protect children’s skin while they play outdoors.

Discover More: Fuel for Life: Elevating Nutrition and Development from Birth

Most importantly, it feels right. Welcoming, safe and respectful. Joyful but calm. Collaborative and intentional. You’re not just dropping your child off; you’re partnering in their learning journey.

The National Quality Framework – What is it?

Introduced in 2012, the National Quality Framework provides a national approach to regulating, assessing, and improving the quality of ECEC across Australia.

The main goals and objectives of the introduction of this nationwide approach are:

• To improve educational and developmental outcomes for children.
• To provide a national approach to regulation, assessment, and quality improvement.
• To promote a culture of continuous improvement in services.

Which ECEC services are included?

Choosing an ECEC service that is guided by the NQF is a fantastic starting point when researching which childcare provider or centre is the right pick for your child.

The different types of services included are

• Long day care
• Family day care
• Preschools and Kindergartens
• Outside school hours care (OSHC)

The Five Components of the NQF

The National Quality Framework can be a confusing thing to navigate and grasp. The most important aspect to understand is that within this framework, there are five major components:

National Law and Regulations: This is a legal framework implemented nationally that includes operational rules that must be followed. For example, staff-to-child ratios and Educator qualifications.

National Quality Standard (NQS): Is made up of seven quality areas that cover. This encapsulates all the different components and aspects that help form the basis of high-quality early learning education.

Assessment and Rating Process: Early Learning and Childcare services complete regularly assessments externally and acheive a rating against the NQS.

Approved Learning Frameworks: Guides that all services must use to be approved for Government funding. For example, Explorers Early Learning uses “The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia”.

ACECQA: The Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority provide national guidance and support for the implementation of the National Quality Framework.

What is the National Quality Standard?

Of all the components included in the NQF, we think this is the most important section for families to know. As such, we’ve decided to go into further detail below for you all.

The National Quality Standard (NQS) sets Australia’s benchmark for high-quality early learning and childcare. It focuses on the areas that matter most to children’s safety, wellbeing and development.

There are seven key quality areas that make up the NQS:

• Educational program and practice
• Children’s health and safety
• Physical environment
• Staffing arrangements
• Relationships with children
• Partnerships with families and communities
• Leadership and service management

Each area is broken down into clear standards and elements. This is so services know exactly what’s expected and families can feel confident about the level of care being provided.

What do NQS ratings mean?

Childcare services are assessed against the NQS and receive ratings for each quality area, along with an overall result.

You may see centres described as:

• Excellent
• Exceeding National Quality Standard
• Meeting National Quality Standard
• Working Towards National Quality Standard
• Significant Improvement Required

These ratings offer families a transparent way to understand quality and make informed choices about their child’s early learning environment.

Ultimately, quality early learning is about more than ratings or checklists, it’s also about how a place makes your child feel, learn and grow. At Explorers, high quality childcare forms the basis of everything we do, from our thoughtful environments, meaningful relationships and intentional care that support every child’s wellbeing and development.

Want to see high-quality childcare in person? Book a tour at your local Explorers Early Learning.

Spend time in our centres, meet our Educators and explore the spaces where learning happens every day. You can also register your interest today and take the next step in your child’s early learning journey.