Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework
About the Victorian Framework
The Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework is designed to advance all children’s learning and development from birth to eight years of age.
The Victorian Framework provides early childhood professionals with a common language for describing outcomes for children, and describes practice principles to guide early childhood professionals to work together, with children and with families to achieve the best outcomes for every child.
The Victorian Framework:
- identifies five Early Years Learning and Development Outcomes for all children
- identifies eight Practice Principles for Learning and Development, categorised as Collaborative, Effective and Reflective. The Practice Principles describe the most effective ways for early childhood professionals to work together, with children and with families to facilitate learning and development
- emphasises the importance of supporting children’s and families’ transitions as they move within and across services throughout the early childhood period.
Who should use the Victorian Framework?
The Victorian Framework is intended to support all professionals who work with children from birth to eight years, including maternal and child health nurses, all early childhood practitioners who work directly with children in early childhood settings, school teachers, outside school hours care professionals, family support workers, preschool field officers, inclusion support facilitators, student support service officers, primary school nurses, primary welfare officers, early childhood intervention workers, play therapists, health professionals, teachers working in hospitals, and education officers in cultural organisations.
How does the Victorian Framework relate to other documents?
The Victorian Framework, the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (EYLF) and My Time, Our Place: Framework for School Age Care in Australia (MTOP) are aligned and complementary. All three are approved frameworks under the National Quality Framework. They share the same five learning outcomes agreed by all Australian governments as important for children’s development. The EYLF and MTOP refer specifically to early childhood educators, while the Victorian Framework is intended to support the work of all early childhood professionals.
The Victorian Framework also complements other discipline specific resources that already support early childhood professionals, including the Victorian Essential Learning Standards and the Maternal and Child Health Key Ages and Stages Framework. In this way the Victorian Framework supports common understanding and shared conversations amongst professionals across disciplines, and between professionals and families, to support children’s learning and development.
For more information, see:
- National Quality Agenda
- Victorian Essential Learning Standards
- Maternal and Child Health Key Ages and Stages Framework (PDF - 347Kb)
How do I get a copy of the Victorian Framework?
Copies of the Victorian Framework were distributed to all registered early childhood services in 2010. Copies are also distributed to new early childhood students by training organisations.
See: Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (PDF - 1.6Mb)
Other support
A number of professional learning opportunities and resources are available to support early childhood professionals to engage with the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework.