This report focuses on a number of aspects of the National Quality Framework (NQF), including children’s health and safety, educational program and practice, children from vulnerable and disadvantaged background, workforce, and service provider perceptions of the NQF. It highlights continuous quality improvement across all seven quality areas of the National Quality Standard (NQS).

This report makes the case for fundamental market reform of early childhood education and care in Australia. The current market settings are leading to higher fees, rather than driving cost effective and higher quality care. There are large benefits from reforming early childhood education and care and moving to a universal system.

This report looks at the impact of policy settings on Long Day Care market composition in the past 10 years, finding that market growth has been unevenly distributed, with fewer places in lower socio economic areas and a shrinking share of not-for-profit services. The authors urge policymakers to consider how quality services can be incentivised...

This report presents an analysis and assessment of progress towards policy goals that will support affordable, accessible, equitable and high-quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) under the current policy, regulatory, funding and governance settings. It also presents recommendations to improve upon these settings as a pathway forward to achieve a universal ECEC system.

This report draws on months of research and on-the-ground engagement with regional, rural and remote communities to highlight significant gaps in early childhood education and care services and their widespread effects on children, families, and communities.